Labour Day Inspiration in these Times of Total Crisis
01.05.2025
Today was international Labour Day, first of May, world-wide celebration of the power of Labour against Capital, “Mayday” also the signal for distress as the imperialist system goes into its death throes lashing out in genocide against the people of Palestine, threatening nuclear war in three conflicts, and setting off tariff wars that, in turn, threaten the workers of the world, May Day the day to celebrate the change in seasons – here this year, it marked the end of a sweltering summer, reminding us of capitalist-man-made climate disorder. The LALIT gathering held today kept unified all of these contradictory realities. It was a day of inspiration. There was an atmosphere of calm concern, of happiness at being together, and of the pleasure of putting our heads together so as to see what best we can best do about it. In particular, how best we can continue bringing working people and their organizations together, as we have done over the years, and as we did just last month for the Peaceful March organized by 20 organizations, including ours. And as we did today with members of LPT and the women’s organization the MLF also present.
LALIT did not, as we have for decades, meet at the Hall in Gran Rivyer Nord Wes this year, because we had to move out of our premises, because of the combined effects of climate change from rampant capitalist pollution causing worse-and-worse flooding, and of the chaotic capitalism that, itself, builds walls knowing that they will bar the natural water-courses that evacuate flash-floods to the sea. Last year we had two such devastating flash floods. So today LALIT members and supporters, together with their families, gathered, instead of in GRNW at the LPT building, in Curepipe at the “Horl Lamizik” which is our member Rajni and her partner Clifford’s work-site in two senses – they built it and they make music in it.
During the celebration in the Hall, there was music, there were talks, there were international messages, and there were poems, and then a “bring and share” banquet under a red tent. Present were people from all over the main island, men and women, from 12 to 87 years old, from towns and villages, from the hills and the coastal areas.
Music
The music was the best concert you can imagine. Everything was new, and yet rooted in the musical traditions of Mauritius. Rajni played two new compositions on the piano that reflect the dark times and, at the same time, the happiness of human endeavour to do something about these hard times – bringing into Mauritian-sega-influenced music, her classical training and her jazz practice. And introducing playing inside the grand piano with one hand to produce a strange and wondrous sound. How to follow this? Yet, Denis did. He made his darbuka sing with the creativity of his imagination, bringing all manner of sounds and rhythms out of it. Sarah’s voice joined, like an instrument, the rhythms and harmonies and melodies of the instruments she and Taroun played. Her speaking and singing voices, together, fused her music with her lived, living feelings, her art with her life. Sarah, like Rajni, generously added to other musicians’ music, by accompanying them on the spot, and putting them at ease, in gentle ways. Christopher played his guitar and sang his words, in an unusual, crisp way – which is both light and deep. Alain played the ravann and sang, bringing the audience in to new and powerful renditions of old, old songs. And at the end, the “Internationale” in Kreol rang out with everyone singing acapella, led by four women’s voices. All the musicians were part of the event, from before it started to after the food. They are not something outside, brought in either in a commercial way, or in any other external relationship of patronage. The musicians were an integrated part of the gathering – in every way.
The talks
The central talk, or speech, was given by Kisna. Without referring to her notes, she spoke to the theme, a tall order: “Klas Travayer onivo Lemond pe prepare pu fer fas-a kolaps sistem inperyalist”, The World’s Working Class’s Preparedness for the Collapse of the Imperialist System”. Her speech was both emotional and intensely cerebral, around how it is within the capacity of the working class to change the world, to force our governments to stop the genocide, to get the Diego Garcia military base closed down, and all military bases on the globe closed down, to use the big sugar estates’ land for food security not real estate projects for the rich, to get the Kreol language used in education and in the National Assembly, and to redeem the world threatened by the process already begun of the collapse of the US empire, even as we watch it. She spoke of the danger of nuclear war, and of the need to stop it, and to prevent it from ever happening again. (See the video on our Facebook page for her speech.]
Alain (another Alain) and Anne-Marie, presiding, created the relaxed atmosphere of continuity over the years and decades of LALIT’s marking of Labour Day, in the context of its political contribution and role in history.
The messages
There were messages from eleven organizations on five continents – Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australia – presented by Gary. He gave not only a few phrases of each message, but explained in another few phrases how we know each organization. This way we lived “internationalism” as Gary spoke. We felt the presence of a political organization in Japan that we share campaigns against US military bases with, one in Namibia that we share Marxist articles with, two in Reunion. We learnt what the preoccupation is of our comrades in Australia in Red Spark. Three organizations in France sent us messages, Lutte Ouvriere, Nouveau Parti Anti-Capitaliste and Parti des Travailleurs. A Humanist Socialist organization in the USA, called “News and Letters Committees” and two internationals, the Fourth International and the International Workers’ Committee. One message, giving an example of ongoing links, was sent by the Republic Socialist Platform in Scotland, in solidarity with the peaceful march that LALIT organized, as one of 20 organizations just over three weeks ago, on 4 April. All the messages will be up on our website soon, in the “Documents Section”.
The poems
Four members read out poems, each more moving than the other. Cindy, a poem dedicated to all refugees, Sarah (another Sarah) a poem about how workers constructed the whole world, Ryley on educating yourself so as to share the leadership of the revolution, and Begum on how we will not only make our future, but our own history, as we take power, as a class. Three of the poems are translations from the great German poet of the working class, Bertolt Brecht.
The Shared Food
People brought, amongst other gorgeous dishes, dal-puri, vegetable curry, gato pima, fresh bread, humus, farata, chicken and chick peas, curried chicken, fish vinday, another vinday of potato and bringel, chicken nuggets, baja, bred tufe. And someone brought bananas from their garden to share. Rajni handed out Cape Gooseberries from her garden.
And of course, everyone stayed to clean up, bring down the little tents, and leave the Music Hall, itself, spick and span. It took a matter of minutes, because everyone gave a hand.
LC for LALIT
