‘That’s Life in Mauritius and Beyond’ by Rodney Phillips

‘That’s Life in Mauritius and Beyond’, a vibrant and rich collection of essays and articles narrating life on the beautiful island located in the Indian Ocean, and outside of its borders, has recently been published by Mauritian author Rodney Phillips.

Written over a period of five years, the latest book of the former senior diplomat has indeed been carefully curated to cover the different aspects of life in Mauritius with all its joys, annoyances, and delightful diversity. From sixth-form students preparing to sit the General Paper examination to avid readers, ‘That’s Life in Mauritius and Beyond’ is a captivating mustread, demonstrating the vitality and versatility of the English language.

Having taken the first steps of his glittering career in the world of teaching in addition to being a journalist, interviewer, and broadcaster at the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation, Rodney Phillips swiftly embarked on another chapter of his life with the United Nations Children’s Fund. As a senior diplomat for UNICEF, he served in Swaziland, Ethiopia, Haiti, Tanzania, and New York. Before leaving his beloved island of Mauritius, Rodney wrote articles for the Air Mauritius’ inflight magazine ‘Islander’, collaborated with Paul Jones and Barry Andrews on the St Géran recipe book ‘A Taste of Mauritius’, and published ‘Nenuphar: The Currimjee Jeewanjee Story’.

Using a variety of styles that includes political and social comment, as well as parody and poetry, the book refreshingly sparkles with wit and wisdom when covering various fascinating themes such as ‘Family’, ‘Island Identity’, ‘Food and Love’, or even ‘Cats’. Through his fine and incisive writing, Rodney Phillips chooses to write about his homeland and its different aspects in Chapter 1 ‘On the Homefront’ before tackling Christmas in the next chapter titled ‘That Time of Year’. While the third chapter delves into ‘Politicians and other Annoyances’ through Rodney’s satirical lens, Chapter 4 remains dedicated to ‘Fables for Our Times’, a modern local take on moral tales.

From Jerusalem to South Sudan, from Afghanistan to North Korea, ‘That’s Life in Mauritius and Beyond’ is also packed with brilliant tales of travel from around the world, places that his work for the United Nations took him over the span of 25 golden years, the essence of which is magnificently captured in Chapter 5 ‘Beyond the Reef’. The terrible lows of Covid-19, lockdown, and isolation are covered in the penultimate chapter aptly named ‘Anus horribilis’, whereas the final chapter leaves the reader brimming with hope and longing for more, as Rodney’s unique world perspective takes a grand finish in ‘And in Other News’.

Superbly illustrated by the caricaturist William Rasonaivo, better known as POV from L’express, and sponsored by Currimjee Jeewanjee & Co. Ltd, ‘That’s Life in Mauritius and Beyond’ is now available at all major book retailers and supermarkets.