Life resumes, despite everything. In the French archipelago of Mayotte, ravaged by Cyclone Chido, celebrating the transition to the year 2025 was not quite the priority of all the inhabitants. But life has resumed little by little, like here, this light in the night which emanates from this café-restaurant on the port of Mamoudzou, this December 31, 2024. “Caribou! Welcome ! Come home!“, greets the manager, all smiles.
Although the place was partially destroyed by the cyclone, the owner still wanted to bring the family together: “We forget about Chido, we let ourselves go, we enjoy tonight!”he assures. And another voice from slipping: “Life goes on, we’re going to get back up and then that’s it!“
Léana, however, who is at the counter, has difficulty relaxing: “I don't really feel like celebrating. I didn't really want to celebrate the New Year, just because this year passes very quickly and we forget it, move on to something else…“, confides the young woman.
Outside, a little further away, Mariana and Neyla came to see the sea for the first time since the cyclone hit. They smile and they sing: “This is music that only talks about Mayotte after Cyclone Chido.”points out one of them, before humming the words in Mahorese.
“It's January 1st, but we have nothing to celebrate, we can't party. At home, we have no electricity, no water, no money… “It's misery. Everything is destroyed. We can't celebrate the New Year, we couldn't celebrate Christmas either…”
A resident of Mayotteat franceinfo
After announcing, Monday, December 30, in Mayotte a battery of measures intended for the recovery of the archipelago, François Bayrou completed his trip to the region on Tuesday by repeating that the department ravaged by Cyclone Chido was not intended to become “a shanty island“. “I cannot look the people of Mahor in the eye and accept that their island becomes the meeting place for all the most dangerous and unworthy slums.”declared the Prime Minister from Reunion, the main logistical base for aid in Mayotte. Cyclone Chido left 39 dead, according to the latest official report, and left behind significant material damage.
