Our People
Origins & Demographics
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The first inhabitants arrived in the late 18th century when French colonists established coconut plantations and brought enslaved people from Madagascar, Africa, and Malay regions; later, indentured workers and contract laborers from Mauritius, Seychelles, India, China, and Somalia joined-in.
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By the mid-20th century, around 1,000–1,100 individuals lived across the islands, with two-thirds based on Diego Garcia.
Language & Identity
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A distinct Chagossian Creole (“kreol Ilwa”) evolved: a French‑based dialect enriched with African and Asian words, part of the Bourbonnais Creole family.
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The Islanders identified as “Îlois” (“islanders”) and later “Chagossians”.
Economy & Daily Life
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Economy centered around coconuts: coconut plantations produced copra and oil, and coir processing supported local livelihoods.
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Seasonal life tied to planting, harvesting, fishing, and inter‑island trade via small boats (“pirogues”).
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Society followed a plantation structure: French‑Mauritian managers, Indo‑Mauritian administrators, contract laborers alongside Chagossians, Somali, Chinese, Seychellois workers.
Courtesy: Clément Siatous
Courtesy: Unknown Author
Our Culture
Cultural Practices
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Religion: Predominantly Christian, with Catholic priests (e.g. Father Dussercle, active in the 1930s) ministering to the community.
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Culture included music, dance, food, and Creole communal traditions—evidenced by archival photos of New Year celebrations and village gatherings.
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Oral history was vital; photographic archives were rare and mostly black-and-white, so vivid memory and storytelling formed central cultural transmission .
Courtesy: en.wikipedia.org
Visual Memory & Art
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Archival photos (e.g. 1937 tour on Diego Garcia, plantation yards, coconut processing, community gatherings) document everyday life.
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Painter Clément Siatous (b. 1947, Peros Banhos) recreated daily pre-exile life in vivid scenes, preserving memories of plantation work, family life, and island landscapes.
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Contemporary artist Audrey Albert explores Chagossian heritage and identity through photographic installations.
Displacement & Exile
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Between 1967 and 1973, British and U.S. forces forcibly removed the Chagossians to clear the way for the Diego Garcia military base.
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The official British narrative falsely claimed the islands were uninhabited; later historians and human rights groups condemned this removal a crime against humanity.
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Exiles faced abject poverty in Mauritius and Seychelles; compensation was delayed and insufficient.
Legacy & Resilience
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Displaced Chagossians maintained their language, Creole traditions, and communal bonds through oral histories and cultural archives.
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The diaspora in Mauritius, Seychelles, UK, and elsewhere continues advocating for right of return and cultural recognition .
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Artistic works by Siatous and Albert serve as powerful testimonies, visually reconstructing life on the islands and nurturing collective memory.
NOU BANN GRAN DIMOUN
Marie Rita Elysée Bancoult (30/06/1925 - 10/12/1916) Olivier's Mother
​Marie Lisette Talate (19/03/1941 - 04/01/2012
Charlésia Alexis (08/09/1934 - 00/12/2012
Mr Olivier Bancoult GCSK, OSK (1964 - ......)
