Black February, Twenty Years Later

In February 1999, Joseph Reginald Topize known as Kaya, died while in custody. A champion of reconciliation of ethnic and religious communities, Kaya expressed in his songs, a national identity across community boundaries. When the man who sang non-violence died in an obscure cell, it is not surprising that his death gave rise to anger and rebellion in the working class neighbourhood where he was very popular.

The riots of February 1999 had the impact of a storm. They distorted peace in a country where coexistence between diverse communities is not as peaceful as it seems. After Kaya’s death and the riots, social malaise remains unresolved. The working-class citizens continue to suffer and the youth of these neighbourhoods are pitted against a juggernaut of injustices.

“Black February, twenty years later” tells this story. It is neither a police investigation, nor a revolutionary pamphlet, even less a sociological analysis, the documentary tells the facts, let the people speak with their own voice, raises a few questions, highlights certain perverse mechanisms.
“Black February, twenty years later” is a feat of memory. It attempts to initiate a process of critical reflection on our future, after the social explosion and its decades of accumulated injustice that lies at the root of the problem.

His name will live on by virtue of his having paid the ultimate price in the quest for a just society; forever immortalised in the history of the struggle to rid the world of the yolk of injustice.

It takes only compassion and dignity for the spirit of humanity to prevail.
“Black February, twenty years later” focuses on this tragic experience of Mauritius since its independence.

Documentary, Republic of Mauritius, 2019
Directed by Selven Naidu
Duration: 66’
Language: French
Subtitles: English