31/08/2026
What a way to Say Goodbye to Winter 🇲🇺 🇦🇺
Yesterday, around 300 people joined us at Casey Central to say goodbye to winter.
For an hour and a half, something beautiful happened.
People stopped shopping.
A crowd formed.
The ravanne started playing, Sega filled the shopping centre, children joined the dancers, food was shared and, for a little while, Mauritius seemed to stop Australia in its tracks.
And we claimed our space confidently. Not behind closed doors. Not only among people who already knew us.
Right there, in the middle of an Australian shopping centre, surrounded by people from every background.
Mauritian culture was visible, joyful and completely comfortable being itself.
There is something important in that.
Our ancestors came to Mauritius carrying different languages, foods, rhythms, traditions and ways of seeing the world. Generations living together on one small island took those different inheritances and created something recognisably Mauritian.
Our food carries that story.
Our music carries it.
Our dancing carries it.
So does the warmth, humour and instinct for gathering together that was on display yesterday.
It is an inheritance that was handed to us, and it is now ours to carry forward.
What was also striking yesterday was how people outside the Mauritian community responded.
Our friends at Marketplace Fresh were amazed by the turnout, the energy and the spirit of the community. People from other migrant communities working alongside us have said much the same.
They noticed the loyalty, the energy, the love of food and music ,the willingness to turn up and the ability to have a very good time together.
That is something we should build on.
Over August, we have looked back over fourteen years of Lakaz Mama. Some chapters were wonderful. Others were extremely difficult.
Yesterday did not feel like another look backwards.
It felt like proof of what is still here.
The community is here.
The culture is here.
The demand is here.
Our responsibility now is to serve all three better.
That means better availability of Mauritian products. Better visibility for our food and culture. More opportunities for Mauritian producers. And more moments where this community can confidently occupy its place in Australia.
Thank you to everyone who came yesterday, to Kulture Creole Entertainment for bringing Casey Central to life, to Marketplace Fresh and Casey Central for giving us the space, and to everyone who has stayed with Lakaz Mama through both the good years and the difficult ones.
We came back to Australia this August with a lot to reset.
We leave knowing there is something very strong to build from.
Over the next few days, we will publish an updated store locator showing where you can find Lakaz Mama and the Mauritian products we distribute across Australia.
Yesterday reminded us why that work matters.
Mauritian culture is not something we leave behind when we migrate. It is something we carry with us, share with others and pass on.
Mauritius may be a long way from Australia.
But yesterday, home did not feel very far away at all. 🇲🇺❤️🇦🇺
