Mayotte's Petite-Terre, the 'fortress' island with two faces
FeatureThe smallest of the two main islands of the French territory in the Indian Ocean, devastated by Cyclone Chido, is home to both wealthy residents and shantytowns, where inhabitants have lost everything.
Fardi Ahamadi would have been 15 years old on Tuesday, December 24. When Cyclone Chido brutally struck the French overseas territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean on the morning of Saturday, December 14, he was at home with his parents, his three sisters, including his twin, and his cousin. At first, they all thought they'd be able to stay in their home, made of metal sheets supported by spindly wooden beams and located in one of the shantytowns of Petite-Terre, the 12-square-kilometer piece of land that makes up the Indian Ocean French territory of Mayotte, along with Grande-Terre and other small islands.
The family, originally from the Comoros, has lived here for over 20 years. All the children were born here, but none have papers. They subsist on the meager income gleaned by their father, Absoir, who looks after the landowner's cow in an agricultural area to the west of Petite-Terre. The children walk an hour to school every morning.
You have 89.09% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.