Sabrina Jean

Sabrina Jean, (born 1973) is a second-generation Chagossian and activist for the Chagossian community to return home to the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean, administered as part of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Sabrina Jean
Born	Sabrina Aristide 1973 Mauritius
Nationality	British (Chagossian)
Occupation	Social Activist, Facilities Assistant for NHS

Background

Sabrina Jean was born in Mauritius, the daughter of Serge Aristide, who was born on the atoll of Peros Banhos in 1951 but left for Mauritius in 1967 when his mother was unwell. When Aristide tried to return to Peros Banhos in the late 1960s and early 1970s he was told that his home had been given to the UK.[1] Jean's father, Serge Aristide, was among the 1,500-plus people forced to leave the British overseas territory when it was leased to the US to build a military base in Diego Garcia. They were taken in boats to Mauritius and the Seychelles without relocation assistance, and most lived in poverty. Jean moved from Mauritus to the town of Crawley in the UK in 2006.[2] Crawley is home to around 3,000 second-generation Chagossians, Britain's largest Chagossian population.[2][3]

Activism

In Mauritius Jean joined a youth group of Chagossians led by Olivier Bancoult, which brought a sense of community and awareness to the second and third generation Chagossians born in Mauritius. On relocating to Crawley in 2006, Jean became chairperson of the Chagos Refugee Group's UK branch. In 2011 she was allowed by the UK government to visit her home island of Peros Banhos, part of the Chagos Islands for the first and only time, visiting with her father. Speaking of the atoll, Jean said “There is nothing, just structures of houses and of the church. There is nothing inside. Nothing. It’s deserted. It was heartbreaking to see it with my own eyes.”[1]

In 2013 Jean helped found the Chagos Football Association and is its current chairperson.[4][5][6]

Another Paradise

A documentary film by Belgian film director Olivier Magis that chronicles the plight of the Chagossian community in Crawley, Another Paradise, was released in 2019[2] and features Jean throughout.

References

1. Sandhu, Serina (22 November 2019). "UK misses Chagos Islands deadline: 'My dad doesn't want to be buried in Britain – he wants to be buried at home'". inews. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
2. McVeigh, Karen (7 June 2019). "'I want to die on my native soil': exiled Chagos Islanders dream of return". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
3. "Crawley Chagossians urged '˜to never lose hope' after devastating court ruling". Crawley Observer. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
4. McDougall, John (5 December 2019). "Islanders in exile - the Chagos Islands national team". The Island Review. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
5. Brooke, Samuel (13 July 2019). "Chagos Islanders face deportation threats in Crawley". The Argus. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
6. Popham, Kristen (13 April 2020). "Half a Century After Their Deportation, Chagossians Employ Football and Community as Tools of Resistance". Pulizer Center. Retrieved 1 December 2020.