Page 68 - MOKAZINE 2 ENG

Alain Précieux, 70
“The river was the Facebook of the time”
discover moka
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X In the past, the postman would hand over the bundles of letters to bus conductors on their way to Rose Hill or Flacq every day and pick up the mail destined for Moka. In those days, people used to walk along the sides of the Mount Ory slopes to reach the capital. The road was lined with flame trees.
Moka had a very rural feel with cows, ducks, chickens and goats. Hawkers travelled by bicycle or on foot. Monaf, the charcoal maker, used a handcart to carry his stuff. The women would
elders
Alain, Dorothy, Edley and Denyse take us back to the Moka of days gone by. They have been living there for decades and share with us their fondest memories with a hint of nostalgia.
Edley Hippolyte, 65
“A movie ticket used to cost 25 cents”
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X Before 1976, only three families in my area had their children in school. There were only two fee-paying colleges in the village – Nelson and Balliol. Other villagers became craftsmen, labourers, farmers or factory workers. I enjoyed visiting the Mon Desert-Alma factory with my friends from time to time. We would look at the machines there and chew sugarcane stalks. There was extraordinary support and friendship between young people.
There were two cinemas, Naz and Popular, around 1980.
I used to go there to watch films for only 25 cents. With the introduction of the export processing zone, one of them was turned into a factory. The other one now serves as a Christian church. P
meet by the river and chatter about everything and anything. The river was the Facebook of the time!
Passenger and cargo trains passed behind my house. I can still recall the smell of molasses carried by the trains with tank cars. We used to fetch water from the public fountain in Mr Parsad’s yard. Not everyone had access to electricity or a radio. To entertain themselves, some people went to listen to the radio (MBS) in tea shops in Rose Hill on Saturdays. P
The history of
Moka
through its
66 MOKAZINE / NO. 2 / 2020