Every week the Entertainment page will try to bring you a short profile on a Seychellois artist, be it in the performing, visual or other forms of arts.

In our tenth profile, readers will learn more about the talented singer, producer, and TV presenter Raymond Clarisse.

He recently became a rare islander to earn a Master of Arts in Film and Media production, graduating with honors from New York Film Academy in Los Angeles.

Q: How did your career start – from singer to TV producer & presenter?

A: It’s a weird journey in a way. In fact I was selected as a child to sing on the TV show Zig Zag broadcast on Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) when I was in primary 6 at Mont Fleuri school. Since my home is also at Hermitage, it also meant I was often called to do voice overs by the producers of the show whenever they would need someone to do it. So I was often in the corridor of SBC since I was a child. Eventually after my A-levels, I was sure that I would study drama. But I saw this tailored all in one course at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth in the UK, where you could also study television and film. So I went for a fixed term contract at SBC TV from February 2001. I studied for three years and when I came back I have been with SBC ever since.

Q: When inspiration is waning, when you feel creativity is sapping, how do you stay fresh?

 A:  It’s another difficult question to answer. Usually just take a break and do not force it because otherwise you will do it only because you have to. I have learned over the years to store my creative ideas. Ideas come to you all the time. Don’t throw them away, keep them safe, revisit them and there will come that time when you will make use of those ideas. I guess this is how I keep myself inspired. I store.

 Q: Why do you think there are so few women in filmmaking?

A:  I don’t think there are few women filmmakers. It’s just like in many other fields sometimes women are not given the same opportunities as men to be at the forefront. I can say that because when I was in L.A for instance, more than half of my peers in the filmmaking department were women and there were some brilliant filmmakers. But historically I can also say that filmmaking tended to be with big equipment and quite bulky. So it was mostly male dominated and women tended to be in front of the cameras. But that has changed significantly.

Q:  What’s harder: getting started or being able to keep going?

A:  I guess in the professional world, given the high level of competition, it is hard to be given an opportunity to be in that industry. Here I would say it’s quite easier, but the professional know-how is what we need. But it is true that you need a lot of self-determination and motivation to keep going.

Q: What is your philosophy in life that influences your creative work?                                      

A: Purpose. There needs to be a backbone to your ideas; you need to answer all the questions of Why? How? When? Where? Otherwise there is no purpose to it.

Q:  What are your favourite movie and biggest influence?

A: To this day I still can’t tell you my favourite movie because I’ve watched so many films and a lot of them have impacted on me differently. However since I am an ardent music fan, music films like AMADEUS, Ray and a few others tend to capture my attention.

Q: What do you look for when scouting for a project?

A: Definitely creative freedom. I need to know that I have a good crew, good vibes, talented people and I can assure myself that regardless of all the stress at the end of the day, I can be proud of what we did.

Q: What is the toughest thing about getting a project done?

A: The hurdles along the way. They are always there. It can be time, deadlines, uncooperative people and unrealistic expectations, budget, weather; but the toughest thing is to stay on track; you need to be able to raise above all those challenges and get it done.

 Q: What is the best thing that ever happened to you while shooting?  

A: When it turns out exactly like you envisioned it. The performance is right and the camera caught it perfectly. It’s amazing. This applies to any creative piece of work you do. It could be when my choir sings something and you feel it sounds right or when you are directing. It’s amazing.

Q: What ingredient do you think makes you special and unique?  

A: I really don’t know if I am special. I’d like to think so. But I think everyone is unique in their own way. But if I really need to answer this question, I would say I have been told that I am polyvalent; I can write, but when I need to I can direct. I sometimes, or should I say most of the time, write my own soundtrack. So I can fend for myself quite a lot which makes it easier to achieve my goals. I mean creatively. But I still need a lot of people around to make it happen.

Q: What advice can you give to people wanting to venture into such industry?

A: Go for it. It’s a very interesting and dynamic industry. It’s tough.  A lot of blood, sweat and tears but definitely worth the results.

Source : Seychelles NATION/U.J.

The National Assembly has approved the Seychelles Tourism Board’s (STB) proposed budget for 2017 amounting to the sum of R147.3m.

This was during the National Assembly’s sitting this morning, after the leader of government business Charles de Commarmond presented a motion to move that the National Assembly resolves to approve the supplementary estimates to regularise the expenditure of SR226,533,165 (Rupees Two hundred and twenty-six million, five hundred and thirty –three thousand and one hundred and sixty five only) in excess of approved budget for the year 2017.

After the assembly moved into committee stage, chaired by Speaker Patrick Pillay, there were several interventions on the motion as well as the budget for STB specifically.

STB was represented before the assembly by the chief executive Sherin Francis and the deputy chief executive Jenifer Sinon.

Following requests from members for clarifications in regards to the STB budget, the principal secretary for finance and trade Patrick Payet and Mrs Francis gave detailed explanations.

Mr Payet said the supplementary budget was presented to the assembly just after the 2017 budget was approved.

He added that the two budgets were not approved when it was first presented before the assembly.

Discussions were then held between the Ministry of Finance, Trade and Economic Planning, the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) and STB.

FPAC recommended that the budgets for the tourism ministry and STB be added to the supplementary budget and presented before the assembly.

One of the members who intervened was Jean-Francois Ferrari, who is also a member of the FPAC.

“It has always been our intention to give the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine as well as STB good budgets, and give the people of Seychelles transparency on these two budgets. Debating on these budgets was not an easy task and indeed it was a difficult exercise to be undertaken,” he said.

“We congratulate STB for the work being done to increase the figures and we hope that it will be a successful year for our tourism industry.”

“When tourism succeeds our country in general benefits. STB can count on the assembly to ensure that it gets what it needs to keep working hard for Seychelles but we have to ensure that there is always transparency.”

Seychelles Olympics is governed by the Seychelles Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (Socga), an association that has proven to be one of the pillars towards the progress of sports in country. As such, being a member of this association is a huge responsibility and with the executive committee elections coming soon, there could be some changes to its composition.

Socga’s annual general meeting (AGM) will take place on Saturday March 25, where the election for a new executive committee will also take place.

According to Socga’s secretary general Alain Alcindor, it is the various federations who nominate candidates for the posts and these names will be put forward at the AGM when those present will cast their votes for the executive committee.

While Mr Alcindor was not at liberty to give us the names of the other nominees put forward, he did reveal that he himself will once more be among the nominees as he seeks a further four-year mandate.

The current president of the association is Antonio Gopal who has held the post since 1992. Hugh Adam is the vice-president, while Alain Alcindor holds the position of secretary general. The treasurer of the association is Mary Banane. Other ordinary members currently on the Socga executive committee include Michel Bau, Donald Celestine, Simon Lespoir, Tracy Hetimier and Selby Dora.

Sports NATION contacted Socga president Gopal, but he declined to make any comments regarding the election as well as the role of Socga and its future targets.

Seychelles officially joined the Olympic family back in 1979 and the country has since competed in nine Olympic Games, starting with the 1980 Games in Moscow and most recently the Rio Olympic Games in 2016. The country has yet to win an Olympic medal.

Socga, formerly known as the Seychelles National Olympic Committee (Snoc), is the offspring of a long struggle undertaken by a group of determined Seychellois men and women to bring about a truly representative sport and Olympic movement in Seychelles. Although Seychelles is a small country which only became independent in 1976, Seychelles sport has achieved excellent results internationally in different sporting events like the Commonwealth Games, the All-Africa Games, the Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG), the African Athletics Championship, and the African Boxing Championship among others.

In fact, Seychelles made its first participation in a major international Games in 1979. That was at the first Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG) in Reunion. The results of Seychellois athletes were so good that everyone started talking about the country making its debut at the Olympic Games in Moscow, Soviet Union, the following year (1980).

To be able to take part in the Olympic Games, Seychelles needed to have an Olympic committee and it had to be affiliated with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). At this point stemmed the idea of Seychelles having its Olympic committee. Fired with the prospect of Seychelles’ involvement in the international arena, John Pillay and his team immediately started the ball rolling by making enquiries about the procedures to join the IOC.

He joined with other sports-minded and influential persons like Antonio Gopal, Simon Lespoir, Rene Youpa, Walter Fernandez and Rose-Marie Uranie requesting them to take part in the initial formation and the establishment of Snoc with the objective of getting Seychelles to take part in the 1980 Moscow Olympiad.

Pillay’s reign at the head of Socga lasted only three years (1979 to 1982) and he was succeeded by John Mascarenhas (1982 to 1991). The current president of the association, Mr Gopal has been at the head of Socga since 1992 and is the longest serving Socga president to date, although we do not know if he will be running for re-election this year.

While being the body that runs Olympic activities in the country, Socga also runs the Commonwealth Games events as well for Seychelles and thus receives support from both international organisations, which in turn directly helps to develop our athletes.

The most prestigious of these support is perhaps the Olympic scholarships, which assist athletes nominated by Socga with high level preparation for their Olympic Games appearance.

The mission of the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) is to develop, promote and protect the Olympic movement in their respective countries.

The NOCs promote the fundamental principles of Olympism at a national level within the framework of sports. NOCs are committed to the development of athletes and support the development of sport for all programmes and high performance sport in their countries. They also participate in the training of sports administrators by organising educational programmes.

Another objective of the NOCs is to ensure that athletes from their respective nations attend the Olympic Games. Only an NOC is able to select and send teams and competitors to the Olympic Games.

NOCs also supervise the preliminary selection of potential bid cities. Before a candidate city can compete against those in other countries, it first must win the selection process by the NOC in its own country. The NOC can then name that city to the IOC as a candidate to host the Olympic Games.

There are currently 206 NOCs over five continents, although Kuwait is suspended since 2015.

 Source : Seychelles NATION

President Danny Faure has officially signed the Appropriation Act to start the process to release the national budget for the year.

This follows the approval on Wednesday by the National Assembly of a supplementary appropriation which authorises reallocation of budget for the STB ,the Tourism ministry as well as other entities which had requested additional financial assistance.

It is the first time that a president of the republic gives his assent to the Appropriation Act publicly in the presence of witnesses and the press.

The main witnesses  of the signing at State House yesterday afternoon   were  Vice-President Vincent Meriton, the Minister for Finance, Trade and Economic Planning Dr Peter Larose, Attorney General Ronny Govinden, the principal secretary for Finance Patrick Payet and the comptroller general Damien Thésée.

Also present at State House was designated Minister Macsuzy Mondon among other guests.

It is to be recalled that the Appropriation Bill 2017 was published as a supplement of the Official Gazette on December 5 last year and was presented  to the National Assembly  for approval on December 9 by the Minister for Finance, Trade and Economic Planning Dr Peter Larose.

In line with President Faure’s ethos of good governance, transparency and accountability, for the first time in the history of our young democracy, principal secretaries and chief executives were called to Parliament to be questioned on their respective expenditures. The debates that were broadcast live captured public interest both locally and abroad as many remained glued to their radios or television sets while the social media buzzed with opinions, views and comments on the discussions.

After lengthy deliberations, the Appropriation Bill 2017 was passed by the National Assembly on February 24 this year.

However, as required by law, the Appropriation Act 2017 has to receive the assent of the President before coming into effect.

Once the President has given his assent to the Act under Section 2 of the same Act, the finance minister will have the authority to carry out the expenditure once the Act has been gazetted.

Speaking to the press soon after the signing, PS Payet said now the next step is the Act goes to the Attorney General’s office while at the same time the finance minister will send an official written authorisation to the PS of finance to enable him to release all the funds appropriately to all ministries, departments and other entities which receive funds from the budget. As the process started immediately, PS Payet said by Monday all would have been finalised and it would be business as usual for all budget dependent  entities.

“Now there should be no excuse relating to the budget for any ministry, department or other entity not to pay for their expenses, service providers and to start new projects,” PS Payet added.

The Attorney General for his part pointed out that the signing “shows the interaction between the powers of government”.

“The National Assembly deliberates, debates and recommends the law  to the President to sign,” Mr Govinden said.

He stressed that the President must sign all the laws of the country before they become effective.

“But  given the importance, the magnitude  of public interest and concerns in the Appropriation Bill which was debated publicly and live, the President has today rightly exercised his power to assent publicly showing that he is in favour of the Bill and the interplay between the different powers of government,” Mr Govinden remarked.

Source : Seychelles NATION

Exactly forty-five years ago, it was the first modern tourist resort to open in Seychelles.  It accommodated the first generation of our airline tourists.  Tony Mathiot recalls the glory and the fall of the Reef Hotel.

 There it is, on your left, a short distance after the Anse Aux Pins Police Station, opposite the Victoria Car Hire, 9 miles from Victoria as you go to the South.  This long and somewhat nondescript stone structure.  You’d be excused for thinking it is a seaside youth hostel in a state of neglect, or a home for medically supervised recuperation!  Well, actually the place serves as accommodation for the staff of the Ste Anne Resort (2002).

This was once upon a time The Reef Hotel, the first tourist establishment of international standards to open in our islands, forty-five years ago – long before ‘Resort & Spa’ became almost obligatory adjuncts in the assigning of names for holiday residences!  This was once the most popular venue for seminars and conferences.  It was once voted ‘The East African Hotel of the year’!  This is where the first Tourism Ball was held and the U-First campaign was launched on Saturday December 11, 1993.  This is where some forty-five South African mercenaries had planned to stay in November 1981 when they arrived in the guise of a beer-drinking club, ‘The Ancient Order of Froth Blowers’!  This is where the 1986 sportsman of the year awards ceremony was held (when Albert Marie, local marathon star) won the title.  This is where our local band, ‘Waves’, launched their Fan Club and their first CD ‘Only A Dream’ on August 4, 1992.  Jimmy Savy, the present chief executive of the National Arts Council, was their leader. This is where … well, if that glum-looking, sort of aloof and uninhabited and discoloured stone structure could speak, it would certainly have tales to tell.

The Reef Hotel was officially opened at noon on Friday March 17, 1972 by Governor Sir Bruce Greatbatch (1917-1989) in the presence of a group of distinguished guests which included the Chief Minister, James Mancham (1939-2017), and zealous representatives of companies who had invested in the project.  In his speech, the Governor said “this hotel will always have a particular place in the affections of the Seychelles as it is the first of its kind”.  Indeed it was.  Prior to the opening of the Seychelles International Airport in 1971, holiday makers who arrived on our shores aboard ships of the British India, Navigation Company, found hospitality and rustic splendour at Fairhaven guest house, the Pirates Arms, the Beau Vallon Beach Bungalows or the Hotel des Seychelles (which was a less deluxe establishment than its name implies!)  The fact that it was the first HALLWAY hotel to be built in Seychelles augured well for our incipient tourism industry.  At a total development cost of R14 million, it attested to the confidence and farsightedness of the investors.  It was a monumental risk, one could say, because when the idea came up to build the hotel in 1970, negotiations must have focussed less on the financial aspect than on showing the investors where Seychelles were on an atlas!  Eventually, W&C French, the Commonwealth Development Corporation, the Commonwealth Development Finance Company and Barclays Overseas Development Corporation placed their bets ‘a thousand miles from anywhere’.  They formed the Indian Ocean Hotels Company (the Owning Company of The Reef Hotel) and Hallways accepted to manage it on their behalf.  In mid 1970, W&C French started on the construction.  Since the site chosen was a coastal plateau, many coconut palms had to be removed.  The architect of the building was Joe Van Melick (a Dutch obviously).  His design was of a two-storey structure, no higher than surrounding palms.  Two residential wings either side of a central structure containing main reception area, offices, lounge, bars and restaurants.  All the 150 double-bed rooms faced the sea and had adjoining bathroom suites.  The rooms on the upper floor had a balcony and those at ground level, a verandah.  Work progressed rapidly on the construction.  W&CFrench which employed a total of 825 Seychellois had just completed the Rochon Dam in 1969 and had also been involved in the construction of the airport before undertaking the task of building a hotel ‘of such magnitude’.  Tony Canham, the director of the Company must nevertheless have lived many hectic months during the construction period.  At that time, a bag of cement cost R8.90!

Road diversion

By August of 1971, the main road was diverted to allow a wider area between the road and the hotel building for the construction of the tennis and badminton courts.  On the other side of the road, a coconut plantation was sacrificially cleared and converted into a 9-hole golf course.  By September, recruitment of staff was underway, with vacancies for 200 workers.  This was done under the meticulous supervision of the general manager of Hallway Hotels, Adrian Matterson, who came expressly for that purpose.  Instructors were brought in from U.K to train our Seychellois workers in the various sections which included kitchen, restaurant, housekeeping, front office and reception, accounts and a 24-hour service laundry.  ‘On the job training’ must have never been on such a scale in Seychelles!  Don’t forget, it was not until 1974, that a Hotel and Catering school opened at Mont Fleuri to train our locals for the hotel industry.  Imagine daring to open a Hallway Hotel on an island with no specialised skills in that field available!  Well, notwithstanding that, on that Friday March 17, 1972, you could have been served the grooviest Harvey Wallbanger and the most delectable Chateaubriand steak!

The Reef Hotel consisted of: 150 double bedrooms, a restaurant, a lounge bar, a dining terrace, a reading room, a spacious lounge, tennis courts, badminton courts, a 9-hole golf course and a swimming pool.

The first manager of Reef Hotel was Les Oliver.  He was among the new arrivals who arrived on the BOAC VC10 which had landed at the airport on July 4, 1971.  Having spent 30 years in East Africa where he had managed a number of hotels including the New Arusha Hotel in Tanzania and the New Avenue Hotel in Kenya, Les Oliver whose name was virtually that of a popular Hotel Company in France, ‘Les’ Oliver, was looking forward to managing an international hotel in his wife’s motherland (He was married to a Seychelloise).   After all, he had to ensure that the Anse Aux Pins resort reflected the international standards of a Hallway establishment.

Bomb blast

In 1972, a tourist would have paid R10 for a taxi from the airport to the Reef Hotel.  The tariff was then R2.50 for the first mile and R1.50 for every subsequent mile.  Full board at the Reef Hotel in the early 1970s was R133 single, R220 double, daily.  A waitress or waiter’s monthly salary was R140 and that of a chambermaid R125. Sounds incredible, doesn’t it?  Well, its first year of operation was quite an eventful one.  Let’see: In the early hours of the morning of February 14, 1972, a month before its official opening, the Reef Hotel sustained a very nasty bomb blast which caused heavy damages to two adjoining bedrooms.  Luckily, no one was hurt.  One wonders how those honeymooners must have felt.  After all, it was Valentine’s Day in Seychelles. Three days after its opening, on March 20, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II stopped during her tour in the South to visit the place and to talk to the staff.  The Queen had come to Seychelles expressly to inaugurate the airport at Pointe Larue.  On September 10, Chief Minister James Mancham (1939-2017) opened Michael Adam’s first exhibition in the Reef Gallery.  On October 6 British chart-topping group The Sweet (‘Poppa Joe’, ‘Teenage Rampage’ ‘Fox on the run’) performed at the Reef Hotel where they were staying, for the Miss Seychelles Beauty contest when 17-year-old Jane Stravens was crowned the fifth Miss Seychelles.  Britain’s number one group was in Seychelles to participate in the ’72 festival to celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of the first settlement on Mahé (1772-1972).  Incidentally, the previous year, in 1971, a first carnival was held in Seychelles on Saturday September 4 – and guess what?  W&C French won 2^nd prize with their float whose theme was … yes!  ‘Reef Hotel construction’!

In 1972, the year that the Reef Hotel opened, 15,197 visitors came to Seychelles, four times the number that came in 1971 (3,175) – and Reef Hotel had the privileged advantage of being the only tourist resort in Seychelles that could offer modern amenities to ‘the discerning traveller’ …aqua sports, tennis courts, a golf course.  And with the opening of the airport, the first generation of airline tourists who had chosen to experience our tropical resplendence must have been expecting, at least, a modicum of recreational comforts (certainly not a spa!)   It had a couple of years to benefit from this advantage, because in 1974, a 100-room Block hotel, the Coral Strand, would open at Beau Vallon.

In the 1970s, the Reef Hotel offered opportunities for artists and artisans to exhibit their works and thus attract customers among the hotel’s clientele.  In February of 1973, the South African couple, Ron and Gill Gerlach displayed and sold their batiks at the Reef Hotel.  In February also, South African and ‘Praslinoise’ painter Joan Markham (1922-2003) exhibited and sold her works at the Reef gallery.  It used to be the ideal place for organisation and clubs to hold their soirée.  Quite a few British ladies, now in their late 70s may remember that night of June 8, 1973 at the Reef Hotel.  It was when the Seychelles branch of the Women’s Corona Society had their barbecued dinner and dance.  The Society was set up in 1953 by the Colonial office to support wives of officers being sent to work in the Commonwealth countries.  In February of 1974, a French magician from Paris, Guidhery, stayed at the Reef Hotel where he performed for the guests.

In 1975, The Reef Hotel was the winner of the ‘Smile campaign’ which had been launched to encourage and to promote good hospitality and excellent service in the tourism industry.  The Hotel won for the Best Buffet display and one of its waitresses, Miss Rosie Rita, won in the Tourist Sector.

Golf course

For almost three decades, the Hotel’s 9-hole golf course was the only one in Seychelles (until Lemuria’s 18-hole golf course opened in 2001).  The first Seychelles Pro-Am Golf Tournament was held during the weekend of December 14 – 15, 1974, when the British Caledonian Airways Golfing Lions came to play and our local champion, Gilbert Morin was born.

Historians will have committed an unscrupulous act of omission if the Reef Hotel is not featured in the annals of sports in Seychelles. One must gratefully acknowledge the fact that the hotel introduced golf in Seychelles at a time when it was an elite sport in Europe.  Over the ensuing years more than a few Seychellois youths discovered that they had a knack for playing golf and eventually became amateur champions. Charles Morin, who was the golfer of the year 1984/1985, is a superb example; in October of 1986 he led an eight-man team to participate in the Mauritius Golf Tournament at Vacoas.

James Penman took over the management of Reef Hotel in 1974.  Les Oliver had preferred to venture out on his own.  In the late 70s, his Friday night fish fry at the Eden Roc Restaurant was a favourite enjoyment for locals and visitors.  In 1984, Walter Confait was the general manager of the Reef Hotel.  He was the first Seychellois to be appointed to the highest stratum in the administration of an international hotel in Seychelles.  In fact, Walter Confait had been working at the Reef Hotel since November 1971, before its official inauguration and was eminently conversant with all the management aspects of a modern tourist establishment.  When he took over, a multi-million rupee investment programme was underway to revitalise the Reef Hotel.  This involved SKYCHEF Ltd, Seychelles’ leading providers of catering services to international airlines, which injected millions of rupees in The Reef Hotel to become a major shareholder.  A new promotional and marketing strategy was devised to secure a greater portion of the tourism industry which included establishing links with various tour operators throughout the world.  Moreover, extensive improvements and renovations were carried out on the entire structure.  This came in the wake of Air Seychelles having gone international in October, the year before.  The Reef Hotel was braced to face the challenge of the second half of the 80s when exciting news hit home.  Benelux magazine had chosen our Hotel as East African Hotel of the year (1985)!  Mind you, it was in competition with very well-known accommodation establishments like the New Stanley Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya and the Kilimanjaro Hotel in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.  The magazine which had about 14,000 subscribers was a buyer’s guide to business travel and was distributed throughout Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.  During that year, 72,542 visitors came to Seychelles.

In the 1980s, Still Waters, Saturn, The Nightshades and Jocelyn Perreau’s sega cabaret show made The Reef Hotel the place to be … any day of the week.

Such was The Reef Hotel’s social engagement to the Seychellois community that its years of operation were punctuated by altruistic deeds. It always looked forward to offer a helping hand.

Most of us wouldn’t know that in July of 1978, for example, The Reef Hotel generously assisted three of our star athletes in preparation for their performances abroad.  Albert Marie, Brian Esparon and Esteb Larue were to represent Seychelles in the 1978 Pan African games in Algiers – they were the first Seychellois athletes to represent Seychelles in an international competition.  Acknowledging that it was a special occasion for which our lucky trio had to be in their best physical and mental state, the hotel invited them to spend a few days for them to relax, do their routine exercise and enjoy the hotel’s culinary delights ad libitum.  For those few days in July of 1978, Albert, Brian and Esteb were the Reef Hotel’s VIPS!  By the way, in Algiers, Albert Marie who was then 21 years old (whose national marathon records of 1988 still stands) completed a 5,000 metre race in 16 mins 23 secs.  A sterling performance that surely must have made everyone in Seychelles, including Jim Penman very proud.

Renovation works

In September of 1988, the Reef Hotel closed for three months for a R22 million renovations.  This included the refurbishing of rooms, new decor and furniture for the restaurant area, and the re-designing of the lobby.  The swimming pool was reshaped into a ‘S’ curve.  But, despite its revamped image, an enthusiastic Seychellois staff and new glossy brochures, the 1990s would be an extremely troublesome decade for the Reef Hotel.

As of April 1, 1992, an Italian-owned company, Hotel Management Company (HMC) took over the management of The Reef Hotel and re-named the resort Le Reef Golf Club Hotel.  Consequently, the former holding body, Seychelles Hotels, was compelled to make length of service payments of approximately R1.7 million to the 231 employees of the Reef Hotel – even in the absence of legislation in the Employment Act 1990 that made it compulsory to do so – among whom many had been working at the Hotel since 1971.  Not wanting to lose such competent staff, HMC which was headed by France Esposito (1944-2016) re-employed most of the workers.  This must have certainly mitigated Giancarlo Bettini’s worries about taking responsibility for the island’s oldest tourist establishment.  He was to be the general manager.  By then The Reef Hotel, well Le Reef Golf Club Hotel, was owned by Indian Ocean Hotels Ltd comprising Cosproh (Compagnie Seychelloise pour la Promotion Hotelière) (55%) and the Commonwealth Development Corporation (45%).

With Seychellois Chef Ulric Denis eager to thrill European palates with his knowledge of international gastronomy as well as our spicy creole recipes, Giancarlo Bettini was all set to ingratiate his guests and local patrons when … at 2am on Thursday August 27, 1992, seven masked men armed with machine guns entered the hotel, terrorised the night staff into handing over R70,000, grabbed all items from the creol d’or display and then vamoosed!  Imagine the front page headlines if such an ugly incident had taken place in Mauritius.  Luckily, for the Hotel’s management, the hotel guests were sleeping … unaware.

The hotel soon recovered from this unpleasant episode and regained its momentum.  In 1993, it was one among the 9 hotels in Seychelles that participated in a staff training programme between Seychelles and Mauritius.  Hotel employees from the 9 hotels in Seychelles went on training programme in hotels in Mauritius and vice versa.  The Training Exchange Programme lasted for two years.  Each Training Programme was for a period of three months.  In April of 1993, a 40-seat pizzeria and a diving centre called ‘Deep Thoughts’ were opened to provide guests and locals with more leisure and social facilities. In August of 1995, the Hotel Management Company Ltd (HMC) bought the Hotel for R34 million.  However, by the late 1990s, Le Reef Golf Club was in dire straits which was exacerbated by a new controversial ‘bed-tax’ law that came into force as of January 1, 1997.  This required that all hotel establishments pay R30 per room per day regardless if the room was occupied or not.  By the end of 1997, when the hotel should have been looking forward to its 25^th and merriest Christmas, it confronted a nightmare of financial problems.

Niwa Tours, an Italian tour operator with whom the Hotel had been working went bankrupt and could not pay the local tour operators, who in turn, owed the Hotel a substantial amount of money.

By December of 1997, the Hotel’s licence fee was R350,000, a sum it could not afford, and even after protracted negotiations with the Seychelles Licensing Authority (SLA), the hotel was unable to settle its accounts.

Consequently, the SLA ordered the closure of The Reef Golf Club Hotel.

Surely, thousands of visitors cherish fond memories of their vacation at the Reef Hotel. It offered the best for the holiday trends of the day.  It fulfilled expectations.

Surely, visitors who once stayed there in the mid or late 1970s and returned to Seychelles during these last few years to spend yet another vacation in our islands must have, on their way to the south, noticed and recognised their once holiday home.

Tenm nasyonal pour sa lannen ‘Seselwa En Sel Desten’ ti lanse ofisyelman yer swar dan en seremoni ranpli avek kouler ek refleksyon patriotik ki ti met lanfaz lo linite nasyonal, lenportans e nesesite pour travay ansanm konman en pep malgre tou nou diversite enkli diferans lopinyon pour fer Seselwa avanse ver en sel  desten.

Prezidan Larepiblik Msye Danny Faure, Vis-Prezidan Vincent Meriton, bann minis, manm Lasanble Nasyonal, reprezantan konsey enterrelizye Sifco osi byen ki banm manm komite tenm nasyonal ti parmi plizyer envite ki ti’n rasanble pour temwanny sa gran levennman.

Sete vis-tyermenn komite tenm nasyonal Manmzel Cecile Marcel ki ti ofisyelman lans sa tenm.

Letan i ti pe adres tou bann ki ti prezan, Manmzel Marcel ti fer remarke ki latas ki ti devan sa komite pa ti enn ki ti fasil me ki zot ti arive kantmenm pour met tou zot diferans dekote e travay ansanm pour arive fer en kontribisyon pozitiv ki’n fer tou manm fyer.

Serten parmi lezot performans ki ti anim seremoni

«Nou fyer nou’n reisi fer en kontribisyon pozitiv dan devlopman nou pei e fyer nou’n met en pti mark  dan liv listwar Sesel,» Manmzel Marcel ti azoute.

Fodre dir ki sa seremoni ti anmenn bokou laplodisman dan lasal e fodre fer resorti ki i premye lannen ki sa komite pour tenm nasyonal i ganny dirize par en manm sosyete sivil, Msye Jules Hoareau.

«Sa i demontre zefor ki pe ganny fer pour promouvwar lademokrasi ek latransparans dan nou pei,» Manmzel Marcel ti dir.

I ti kontinyen an dizan ki dan tenm sa lannen Sesel in ganny ranplase par Seselwa e sa i pour la senp rezon ki «sa lannen nou’n anvi promouvwar sa laspe lapartenans, patriotizm ek lafyerte konman en nasyon”.

«Mon bann frer ek ser, Sesel i nou pei, annou annan sa lafyerte ek lanmour pour nou anmenn nou pei pli devan. Annou sakenn adopte sa tenm e konman bann bon patriyot rod fason ki nou kapab vin ansanm e kontribye pozitivman dan devlopman nou pei,» Manmzel Marcel ti dir.

Pandan sa seremoni logo sa tenm ki’n konsevwar e desinen par en zenn Seselwa, Ziggy Adam, ti ganny devwale.

Sa logo tenm nasyonal i reprezant sa zefor kontinyel pour nou vin ansanm konman en pep an rout ver en sel desten. Son bann kouler eparpiye dan bann laroul i port nou bann kouler nasyonal. Sa bann diferan laroul i osi fer nou rapel ki nou en pti leta zil antoure par losean e ki sa i ranpli avek bokou defi. Dan milye i reprezantasyon nou dimoun, en sel pep avek tou son diversite ki fer nou inik konman en nasyon.

Tou i plase dan en ron ki senboliz sa ki fer nou konplet ‘Linite ek Egalite’. Nou pep i debout dan pirog kouler nasyonal  ki reprezant nou kiltir ek tradisyon, nou devlopman e sa voyaz ver en menm destinasyon. Sanson tenm nasyonal in osi ekrir par Ziggy Adam me enterprete par sis artis Seselwa byen popiler e sa se Sandra Esparon, Joenise Juliette, Georges Payet, Jean Ally, Jose Charles e Reggie.

Pli boner o konmansman sa seremoni ti annan en video lo lavi e parkour pep Seselwa e tou bann keksoz ki fer nou sa pep ras melanze ki nou ete e tou bann keksoz ki nou admire e ki antour nou.

Ti osi annan plizyer ladans koreografik lo ler ek ritm bann sanson patriotik enterprete par diferan santer popiler, resital poenm par zenn poet osi byen ki bann adilt, refleksyon relizye par tou le nef manm Sifco e osi en benediksyon par Reveran per David Alcindor ki osi en manm komite tenm nasyonal.

Source : Seychelles NATION

Private company hands over contribution to help group of 12 make the trip

For the 5^th time a group of 12 children aged between 10 and 13 will be taking part in the International Children’s Festival to be held once again in Turkey this time in Nevsehir, (Cappadoccia) from April 17 to 27 and like always financial support is necessary to help make the trip a success.

On Saturday morning, the East Indies Company handed a cheque for R25,000 to the Ambassador for Women and Children Dr Erna Athanasius who will be leading the children on this exciting trip of cultural exchange and discovery.

Michael Saldanha, brand manager of East Indies, handed over the cheque to Dr Athanasius in a short ceremony at the meeting room of the Seychelles National Youth Council (SNYC) at English River.  This was in the presence of the 12 children, some parents and their two instructors Mary-Anne Ahmad and Bennet Accouche.

Organised under the auspice of the Office of Seychelles Ambassador for Women & Children each year for the past for years — in Seattle, Washington USA in 2013, Gaziantep-Turkey in 2014, in Normandy, France in 2015 and Antalya, Turkey in 2016, with this year’s group taking part, a total of 60 children would have had this fantastic opportunity to share their culture and way of life with other children their age coming from various parts of the world.

Thanking East Indies for this wonderful contribution Dr Athanasius said Seychelles’ participation in those festivals and its exciting programmes has always  been remarkable and very successful.

She noted that each year 40 or more children turn up for the audition but unfortunately so far it has not been financially possible to take more children in the group.

“It would be good to have more children on the programme as it is a great opportunity for them to meet other children their age from different countries to share our culture and tradition. It is really a great benefit for our small country as more and more young children embrace our culture and become small ambassadors of our cultural heritage sharing it with others from around the world as well as promoting it locally,” Dr Athanasius said.

“We really appreciate and we are very grateful for all the contributions we get and we want more people to see the benefits of such an event and continue to come forward to help us and who knows we can take more children in the future,” Dr Athanasius pointed out.

Mr Saldanha has for his part pledged to try and support the Office of the Seychelles Ambassador for Women & Children in this noble and worthy cause.

“It is always good and makes one feel proud to see our very young children performing our cultural dances with such precision and perfection and East Indies is proud to be associated with the cause which promotes our cultural identity,” Mr Saldanha said.

Meanwhile the group of six boys and six girls gave the audience a taste of part of the show they will perform on their tour.

Dr Athanasius availed of the opportunity to express heartfelt gratitude to the East Indies and all the other companies and businesses which have offered to help sustain the activity each year and the SNYC for providing the venue for the children to rehearse.

Source : Seychelles NATION

Une petite cérémonie a été organisée à l’Alliance Française, hier en fin d’après-midi, pour commémorer la Fête de la Francophonie célébrée cette année sous le thème choisi par l’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie qui est « La langue française, notre trait d’union pour agir ».

C’était dans un air détendu et festive que se sont rassemblés au siège de l’Alliance Française plusieurs  ministres, ambassadeurs, adhérants de l’Alliance Francaise, membres de la Commission nationale de la Francophonie, élèves et autres invitées distinguées.

La cérémonie organisée par la Commission nationale de la Francophonie et le CINEA en collaboration avec l’Alliance Française et ces partenaires fidèles a démarré avec une chanson intitulée  ‘Je t’invite aux Seychelles’ par l’artiste et musicien seychellois David André qui est aussi Maire de Victoria.

Cette performance était suivie d’un récital de poèmes par des Seychellois dont Stephanie Joubert et Henrico Ernesta qui ont mis en valeur la langue française.

Ces présentations ont également mené tous présents à réfléchir sur les diverses domaines que tisse la langue française au sein de la société seychelloise et les diverses actions que nous pouvons entreprendre pour promouvoir et sauvegarder cette langue.

En l’absence de Son Excellence l’Ambassadeur de France M. Lionel Majesté-Larrouy, qui pour des obligations familiales de première importance a été forcé à rentrer en France précipitamment, c’est le directeur de l’Alliance Française, M. Laurent Jalicous, qui a addressé les invitées.

Il a rappelé l’attachement des Seychelles à la langue française en soulignant le fait qu’en 1976 les Seychelles ont rejoint l’OIF, un groupe fort aujourd’hui de 58 Etats et gouvernements membres.

Il a rappelé l’importance singulière du français aux Seychelles en disant que le premier contingent de touristes, l’un des piliers de l’économie seychelloise est francophone, la France est un partenaire économique majeur à l’export comme à l’import et aussi le fait que tous les voisins de l’Océan Indien  sont francophones.

« Depuis bien longtemps le français n’est plus l’affaire des Français. Et il est vivant aux Seychelles, j’en veux pour preuves les 750 apprenants de l’Alliance française des Seychelles, les 1 100 candidats au DELF ou encore les 275 élèves de l’Ecole française des Seychelles », a souligné M. Jalicous.

Ce dernier a saisi l’occasion pour saluer le travail exceptional de tous ceux et toutes celles qui oeuvrent sans cesse pour la promotion de la langue française en leur promettant tout les soutiens institutionnels.

« Il faut user, abuser et s’emparer de la langue Française. Elle n’est ni jalouse, ni fragile et elle ne vous en voudra jamais », a conclu M. Jalicous.

Pour sa part, l’ambassadeur  Claude Morel, secrétaire d’Etat aux Affaires étrangères, a également addressé dans un message pour cette occasion un vibrant hommage à toutes celles et tous ceux qui oeuvrent au quotidien avec compétence et talent, et parfois dans des conditions difficiles à la promotion de notre belle langue qu’est le français.

« J’ai dit notre langue car le français et la Francophonie font partie de notre patrimoine socio-culturel depuis près de deux siècles et demi », a-t-il souligné.

« On ne le souligne pas assez souvent et du coup nous oublions qu’en se désintéressant du français, on participe à une mutilation de nos traditions et une partie précieuse de notre patrimoine. Défendre une langue c’est aussi défendre toutes les langues », a-t-il dit.

 Source : Seychelles NATION

Foreign poets rally here for BlingBling Nod poetry festival

Seychellois poets will join their counterparts from around the world today to celebrate World Poetry Day and to mark this day the BlingBling Poetry Association has put up a week-long festival titled BlingBling Nod.

The opening ceremony is today at 6.30pm at the International Conference Centre of Seychelles (ICCS) and entrance is free to all.

BlingBling Poetry Association chairman Tony ‘Raspyek’ Joubert was joined by foreign poets ‒ Phinda Mkhonta of Swaziland, Jawex of Reunion, Little Jo of Madagascar ‒ when he gave details of the festival’s programme yesterday at the National Arts Council (Nac) conference room.

Nac chief executive Jimmy Savy was also present and Raspyek thanked him and the council for all the help given to BlingBling Poetry Association over the years and when putting up the festival.

“Thanks to the involvement of foreign poets, the festival will give us a good idea of the quality of Seychelles poetry and I am happy some local poets who had been away from the stage for a long while will be making their comeback,” said Raspyek.

On Wednesday, there will be a poetry insite at the Seychelles Institute of Teacher Education (Site) from 10am to 12 noon followed by a Brigade Intervention Poétique (Bip) from 1pm to 2.30pm at an undetermined site.

Raspyek noted that during Thursday’s ‘Kritik mon poenm’ (A critical eye on the poems) workshop, a number of poems will be analysed, adding that the authors should take the criticisms positively to improve on their future production. The workshop will be from 9.30am to 11.30am at the University of Seychelles (UniSey) Anse Royale.

Also on Thursday from 1pm to 3pm there will be a Brigade Intervention Poétique (Bip) at an undetermined venue and this will be followed by an open mic from 3pm to 5pm at the post office in Victoria.

There will be another Brigade Intervention Poétique (Bip) from 8.30am to 10.30m on Friday and in the evening as from 7.30pm at the UniSey Anse Royale theatre will see the Blingbling Rock during which poets will be accompanied by a band on stage.

On Saturday, winners of the ‘My Recipe’ contest will receive their prizes and finally at 6.30pm at the Treasure Cove hotel, Bel Ombre, there will be the ‘Poésie en douceur’ recital as part of the Francophonie activities taking place this week.

“Most poets have been looking forward to such a festival and I am sure it is going to be a success with the participation of 17 poets,” said Raspyek.

Phinda Mkhonta of Swaziland said he is excited to be here and has thanked everyone who has supported the Blingbling Poetry Association to create such a platform for artists to come together to share information because “the more you learn, you discover how much you don’t know”.

“Such a cultural exchange programme gives us artists the chance to exchange ideas and as critic Plato once said ‘there is no original idea, every idea is transformed from one to another’. This means we are not the true creator of what we create. It is through our inspiration, the things we see around that we get to create the different artistic works,” said Phinda whose poetry relates to the old African traditional style of expression, thought of humanity (ubuntu), entertaining, sensitising people’s moral being and social ills, promoting pride of the Swazi culture through creative outlets.

World Poetry Day is the occasion to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media.

Held every year on March 21, World Poetry Day celebrates one of humanity’s most treasured forms of cultural and linguistic expression and identity. Unesco first adopted March 21 as World Poetry Day during its 30th general conference in Paris in 1999, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.

As poetry continues to bring people together across continents, all are invited to join in the BlingBling Nod festival.

Source : Seychelles NATION

Some of the presentations during the symposium

To mark World Consumer Right’s Day celebrated on March 15, the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) in collaboration with the Seychelles National Youth Council (SNYC) and Natcof (National Consumers’ Forum) organised a symposium to discuss and reflect on the year’s theme ‘Building a digital world that consumers can trust’.

The aim of the symposium was to educate the public, especially the young generation, on their role in the digital world in terms of them being respected and be protected. It was a platform  for FTC to gather recommendations for further analysis so that feasible, sound and relevant policies can be formulated.

The symposium, held at the Seychelles Institute for Teacher Education (Site) on Friday afternoon, was attended by the chief executive of FTC George Tirant, chief executive of SNYC Alvin Laurence, chief executive of Natcof Raymond Course, members of the National Assembly, regulators, service providers and young students.

The internet, online payment and the role of the media were the topics of debate.

With digital technology having a dramatic impact on consumers around the world such as creating access to information, greater choice and conveniences such as online shopping, paying of utility bills, online banking and many more which are no doubt of benefit to consumers, there are questions about how to establish internet access to those not connected, how to improve the quality of services, which online services and products consumers can trust and also what happens to the data they share online.

In her welcoming remark, FTC representative Elza Robert said that with the world getting an even smaller global village with digital technologies bringing services and goods into the households of consumers, it is important to ensure that this change does not impact our society negatively but rather positively.

“Consequently, it is important to have guidelines, parameters and as much knowledge as possible to ensure that transactions in this digital age are done safely,” she noted.

With statistics showing that the younger generation seems more in tune with the digital era, it was fitting to hear them voicing out their concerns about high internet cost, usage and cost of phone data and the need for more education in the digital age.

During the two-hour debate, there were video presentations on digital age, launch of a poster competition on digital age for primary and post secondary institutions, a sketch on money scam via internet by Kelly Gamatis and Gael Boniface of SNYC, a presentation on ‘Trust in the digital world’ by George Gill from DICT (department of information communication technology) and a testimony by post-secondary student Daniel Vidot on his true experience of online shopping fraud.

After the debate, Mr Tirant said he was satisfied with the fruitful symposium, noting that the conclusion drawn from the symposium is that more needs to be done to educate the population on digital age so as to make the society move forward quickly in the digital era.

He added that all recommendations and concerns raised during the debate will be analysed by FTC and will be later put forward to the regulators and service providers for consideration.

For his part Mr Laurence said that even though the young people are well versed in the digital age, they are still vulnerable to fall prey to digital technology.

He added that educating the young generation on digital technology now will ensure that we have a good society in the future.

 Source : Seychelles NATION

A l’occasion de la troisième édition de l’événement « Goût de France / Good France », la gastronomie française, classée au patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco depuis le 19 mars 2015, est de nouveau à l’honneur dans le monde entier.

Plus de 2 000 chefs sur les cinq continents vous proposent un menu gastronomique français avec sa touche locale, composé de la manière suivante : apéritif et canapés, entrée, plat(s), fromages, dessert(s), accompagnés de vins et champagnes français.

Dix-huit hôtels et restaurants seychellois participent cette année à l’opération, soit six établissements supplémentaires par rapport à 2016.

Pour le lancement de cette opération d’envergure internationale, une conférence de presse s’est tenue le jeudi 16 mars à 16h à l’Alliance Française des Seychelles.

Selon son excellence l’Ambassadeur de France aux Seychelles Lionel Majesté-Larrouy, « l’opération cette année, est un réel succès et réunit incontestablement le plus grand nombre de chefs participants dans le monde ».

Selon Madame Sherin Francis, directrice générale de l’Office du Tourisme des Seychelles, « c’est pour la destination, une excellente opportunité de promouvoir nos hôtels et nos chefs qui s’essayent à la cuisine française. De par son héritage colonial, les Seychelles ne se sont jamais éloignées de leurs racines et traditions françaises. D’ailleurs la cuisine française joue un rôle important dans l’évolution de notre délicieuse cuisine seychelloise. »

Elle a aussi remercié les partenaires et organisateurs de cet événement notamment « l’Ambassade Française qui représentante le gouvernement des Affaires étrangères et le chef étoilé Alain Ducasse, à l’initiative du projet. Mais aussi Daphnée Zahary, chargée de promotion du marché Océan Indien au Seychelles Tourism Board, qui a organisé l’événement et qui a participé à la réussite de ce projet aux Seychelles ».

C’est une progression très encourageante qui confirme l’intérêt de la destination France, 1er marché émetteur de touristes aux Seychelles.

Enfin, pour la conférence de presse, cinq représentants d’établissements étaient présents dont Ricco Dubignon chef de « Le Bistro », à l’Alliance Française, Gerard Kapesa chef du Tamarind, Avani Barbarons Seychelles Resort & Spa, et Benjamin Chatellard, chef du Paris Seychelles, Le Méridien Fisherman’s Cove.

Nous avons eu le plaisir d’accueillir également les représentants du restaurant Del Place dont M. Del Place propriétaire, ainsi que Mme Joyce Laljee présente à la place de M. Hamzah Abu El-Foul, chef de l’Indochine – Kempimski Seychelles Resort. Un avant-goût délicieux a été présenté par les chefs.

Nous vous invitons donc nombreux dans tous les restaurants qui participent à cet événement et vous souhaitons d’avance un excellent appétit.

Source : Seychelles NATION

‘Social issues must be at the forefront of development’

 “If we want sustainable communities and environments for our children and families, we must put social issues at the forefront of development. We must give our social workers a greater say in the decisions that are taken in our communities. We must plan better and with people in mind.”

This comes in a message from the new Minister for Family Affairs Jeanne Simeon on the occasion of World Social Work Day being celebrated today.

The full text of Minister Simeon’s message reads:

“World Social Work Day, commemorated every year on March 21, is an opportunity to highlight and appreciate the importance of social work.

“It is a time where we join the international community in strengthening existing relationships and partnerships as well as spreading knowledge about social work, its values and principles.

“It is also an occasion for professional reflection where our social workers and their partners meet to discuss on present challenges, explore new working practices and propose solutions so that we can continue to promote and realise the dignity and rights of all our citizens.

“This year’s theme ‘Promoting Community and Environmental Sustainability’ offers us a fresh perspective from which to assess the significance and contribution of social work in our society.

“While we are all aware of the various social problems that are impacting on many individuals and families, not many of us appreciate that social problems are only the manifestations of more complex and profound changes that have happened in our society. And in many instances, the causes of social problems are not social; they may be economic, environmental or cultural.

“It is for this reason that we must adopt new approaches and new ways of thinking in order to address not just the symptoms but also the actual causes of problems. This is where the theme is relevant because through the prism of sustainability, we are able to appreciate the extent that our society has changed and the resulting impacts.

“We cannot talk of sustainability without talking about change. Our society has changed and continues to change. Some changes have been positive while others have been negative. Negative changes are often problematic and unsustainable. They impact adversely on our quality of life and weaken the fabric of society. They affect families and communities. It is these changes that we must manage and address.

“Our social workers have a crucial role to play in this process. At a fundamental level, they promote and advocate for sustainable change. They empower marginalised and vulnerable individuals and groups who are often left isolated and demoralised by the impact of change. Not everyone can be resilient, not everyone can cope or has the strength to seek help. For those people, our social workers can be the difference between getting back on their feet or simply giving up on life.

“On this Social Work Day, I commend the efforts of all our social workers. I thank them for their dedication and hard work. I recognise the difficult environment they work in and the numerous challenges they face.  But I would like to reassure them that government will continue to support them at every level. Yours is a vocation that has value but unfortunately is often overlooked.

“Social work must have a better outlook. We must recognise its importance because sustainable environment and communities is about individuals and their families.

“I therefore call on all ministries, organisations and stakeholders to adopt a holistic approach to development. We cannot reduce development to pure economics or environmental concerns with just conservation. We must have a greater understanding on the relationships between people, their communities, their economic activities and how these impact on their lives. Sometimes it is development that changes people, that changes their values and lifestyles. Sometimes, it is development that renders people helpless and hopeless. This is unsuitable development.

“If we want sustainable communities and environments for our children and families, we must therefore put social issues at the forefront of development. We must give our social workers a greater say in the decisions that are taken in our communities. We must plan better and with people in mind.

“Our social workers cannot just be problem solvers. They cannot just pick up the pieces of broken lives and dreams. It is for this reason that we must engage with them and make space for them at all level to bring their contribution and experience so that together we can create the sustainable families and communities we all want to see.

“I wish all social workers continued success in their profession and all the best for the future.”

Source : Se3ychelles NATION

Venez participer au Dimanche Romance et Récital des Poèmes

Pour commémorer la Fête De La Francophonie 2017,  L’institut Créole en collaboration avec ses partenaires clés ‒ le Comité de l’Organisation de la Fête de la Francophonie,  le Département de L’Education, la Section du Centre de Curriculum, Evaluation et Soutien pour les Enseignants (ECA), l’Association des Écrivains Seychellois, LARDWAZ, et L’Association des Personnes Agées, organise une activité intitulée un ‘Dimanche Romance et Récital des Poèmes’.

C’est la langue française qui est notre trait d’union, notre clé de coopération et d’action entre nous. Tous ces institutions et regroupements ont en partage la langue française, pour agir ensemble, créer des passerelles, des liens de collaboration et de coopération.  Tout comme une union aux valeurs culturelles habituelles que nous défendons.

La Francophonie a fait que la langue française est devenue une langue de réalisations, d’innovation, de création, de savoirs et de savoir-faire partagés, dans un esprit de complémentarité, de solidarité, de réciprocité également. La romance est un genre de la littérature seychelloise qui a d’origine française.

Nous reconnaissons aussi que la culture, dans toutes ses manifestations, contribue au développement, à la création d’emplois et de chaînes de valeurs qu’il faut exploiter de manière durable. Tout cela, nous l’accomplissons grâce à la richesse de l’héritage culturelle et linguistique qui nous unisse.

‘Dimanche Romance et Récital des Poèmes’ a pour objectif d’amener les participants et la communauté francophonie des Seychelles à savourer et valoriser la langue française dans une atmosphère détente, culturelle et littéraire.

L’activité se tiendra à L’institut Créole Internationale d’Au Cap le dimanche 26 mars, 2017, à partir de 10h à 16h.  Au cours de cette journée de détente les membres du public pourront participer et apprécier des romances et récital des poèmes. Il y aura de la nourriture et des boissons en vente à la fois au goût français et seychellois.

Ceux ou celles qui souhaitent participer à cette activité avec un poème ou une romance, veuillez contacter l’Institut Créole au numéro de téléphone suivant : 4376352 / 4376351.

Source : Seychelles NATION

Baha’is of Seychelles have celebrated their New Year with social activities in eight localities on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, consisting of a spiritual programme followed by a social activity, in a spirit of love, unity and fellowship.

The Bahá’í calendar is a solar calendar with 365 or 364 days similar to the current one. However, it differs in several significant ways:

• The year is composed of 19 months of 19 days each (361 days) plus an extra period of 4 or 5 “Intercalary Days”. 19 is also special number in the Faith and the number 9 numerologically stands for Glory or Baha. The Intercalary days are days dedicated to charitable works, hospitality and good cheer.
• The days of the week and month are named after the attributes of God, such as Glory, Beauty, Grace, Justice, Mercy… For example, the first month of the year (March/April) is Splendour and the first day of the week (Monday), Perfection. This focuses man on the noble qualities that he has been endowed with and which are but a reflection of the Divine perfection.
• Years begin at Naw-Rúz, on the vernal equinox, on one of March 20-22.
• The first year is dated from March 21, 1844, the year during which the Blessed Báb proclaimed his religion, and prepared the way for the Revelation of Baha’u’llah. Years are annotated with the date notation of BE (Bahá’í Era), 2017 CE is the year 174 BE and starts at the moment of the vernal equinox on March 20, 2017.

 Historical

The earliest recording of a New Year celebration is believed to have been in Mesopotamia, 2000 B.C. and was celebrated around the time of the vernal equinox, in mid-March. A variety of other dates tied to the seasons were also used by various ancient cultures. The Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Persians began their new year with the fall equinox, and the Greeks celebrated it on the winter solstice.

The early Roman calendar designated March 1 as the New Year. The calendar had just ten months, beginning with March. That the New Year once began with the month of March is still reflected in some of the names of the months. September through December, our ninth through twelfth months, were originally positioned as the seventh through tenth months (septem is Latin for ‘seven’, octo is ‘eight’, novem is ‘nine’, and decem is ‘ten’.

 January joins the calendar

The first time the new year was celebrated on January 1 was in Rome in 153 B.C. The new year was moved from March to January because that was the beginning of the civil year, the month that the two newly elected Roman consuls  ̶  the highest officials in the Roman republic  ̶  began their one-year tenure. In 46 B.C. Julius Caesar introduced a new, solar-based calendar that was a vast improvement on the ancient Roman calendar, which was a lunar system that had become wildly inaccurate over the years. The Julian calendar decreed that the new year would occur with January 1, and within the Roman world, January 1 became the consistently observed start of the new year.

The significance of Baha’i Naw-Ruz is described in terms of spring and the new life it brings. As the fast ended, we could turn a new page in our lives, inspired to right action and spiritual excellence:

From time immemorial this day has been consecrated, for in this there is a symbol. At this moment the sun appears at the meridian and the day and night are equal. Until today the north pole has been in darkness. This sacred day when the sun illumines equally the whole earth is called the equinox and the equinox is the symbol of the divine messenger. The sun of truth rises on the horizon of divine mercy and sends forth its rays on all…

…“Soon the whole world, as in springtime, will change its garb. The turning and falling of the autumn leaves is past; the bleakness of the winter time is over. The new year hath appeared and the spiritual springtime is at hand. When the sun appears at the equinox it causes a movement in all living things. The mineral world is set in motion, plants begin to sprout, the desert is changed into a prairie, trees bud and every living thing responds, including the bodies of animals and men. The rising of the sun at the equinox is the symbol of life and the human reality is revivified; our thoughts are transformed and our intelligence is quickened. The sun of truth bestows eternal life, just as the solar sun is the cause of terrestrial life…

…The day of the appearance of God’s messenger on earth is ever a sacred day, a day when man commemorates his lord…”

The New Year is preceded by 19 days of fasting, for those in good health. Just as the body is cleansed, the physical fast is symbolic of purification of thought and action, of detachment from material desires; a period of prayer and reflection and nearness to God so that we approach the New Year in a loving spirit of service to mankind.

The purpose of fasting is not for a person to suffer, but, by abstaining from food and drink, to be at least partially free from the constraints of the body and able to concentrate on things of the spirit.

Each of the Messengers of God, including Bahá’u’lláh, have had periods of fasting at some time during their ministry. Often they have withdrawn to some place of seclusion in order to commune with God in preparation for undertaking their supreme task of bringing God’s message to the world…

The accompanying photos show members of the Baha’i faith taking part in various activities to mark their New Year.

Source : Seychelles  NATION

Matinée de jeux à Roche Caïman pour les élèves de l’Ecole Française des Seychelles

Pour commémorer la fête de la Francophonie, trois classes de l’Ecole Française des Seychelles (EFS) ont participé à une journée sportive à Roche Caïman, hier. Un moment d’apprendre les jeux traditionnels qui se jouent dans les écoles françaises à travers le monde et aussi un moment de faire la fête.

En ce mardi 21 mars, le soleil était bel et bien au rendez-vous, mais cela n’a pas diminué pour autant l’excitation des élèves du CP, de CE1 et CE2, soixante-quatorze au total qui ont participé à cette journée.

« L’activité sportive de ce matin (hier matin) à l’initiative de l’équipe enseignante du cycle 2 de l’école s’est déroulée dans le cadre de la célébration de la francophonie, car le sport est également un excellent vecteur du langage. 74 élèves, 5 enseignants et 6 parents accompagnateurs ont pris part à des jeux traditionnels sous forme d’ateliers. Par leur présence active ces parents ont démontré leur rôle essentiel qui est le leur dans la vie de l’établissement. Cette matinée  très ensoleillée a permis aux enfants de sortir de l’école et profiter des très grands espaces aménagés de Roche Caïman. Au-delà du plaisir de ces moments partagés les élèves ont pu développer les compétences suivantes : développer sa motricité et apprendre à s’exprimer en utilisant son corps ; s’approprier par la pratique physique et sportive des méthodes et des outils ; partager des règles, assumer des rôles et des responsabilités et apprendre à entretenir sa santé par une activité physique régulière », explique le directeur/chef d’établissement de l’EFS, M. Philippe David.

« Le but de cette activité c’est d’introduire les jeux traditionnels aux élèves. Ensuite c’est aussi une activité où les enfants sont encouragés à s’exprimer en français et aussi à suivre les consignes en français. Ceci fait partie du programme de l’éducation physique et sportive. Notre objectif est de fédérer les élèves autour d’un projet commun et de jouer en équipe en mélangeant les classes. Autre objectif de cette matinée est de faire participer les parents aux activités scolaires de l’école. Il est important que les enfants les voient comme des acteurs de l’école », note Séverine Braconnier, maîtresse de CE1.

La maîtresse de CP, Christine Morin Latorre, a conclu que cette matinée « est principalement pour que les élèves qui ne se connaissent pas se retrouvent entre eux et apprennent à se respecter, apprendre les règles des jeux, jouer et se faire plaisir. Avant tout, c’est un jour de fête. »

L’ambiance était au top niveau et les élèves ont pu jouer  au jeu de quilles, pétanque, la thèque, l’élastique et au jeu poules, renards et vipères.

Les maîtresses Christine Morin Latorre, Séverine Braconnier, Estelle Thieron, Charleine Ernesta et Dominique Kolesnikov accompagnaient les élèves à mieux comprendre les jeux et de se divertir. Finalement la matinée s’est terminée avec le sourire aux lèvres malgré la fatigue.

Source : Seychelles NATION

Konseye Spesyal dan Departman Kiltir, Emmanuel D’Offay, in dir ki i krwar kiltir i merit o sant tou desizyon ki ganny pran e tou polisi ek progranm ki ganny ‘design’.

Akoz?  I dir ler ou pa met kiltir o sant sa bann desizyon ki ganny pran, gradyelman ou komet bann lerer ki alafendizour i annan en gran risk ki ou kiltir i ganny detri.

E pour ilistre sa ki i ti dir, Msye D’Offay ti sit en legzanp tipik tel ki sa desizyon ki ti pran resaman pour met en trwazyenm lale lo Lari Francis Rachel. Apre bokou dimoun ti eksprim zot mekontantman akoz zot krwar i ti pou detri Lesplanad, enn bann mervey lavil Victoria.

“E sa ti en move desizyon kot kiltir pa ti ganny pran an konsiderasyon ler ti pe pran sa desizyon,” i ti dir.

Msye D’Offay ti fer sa bann deklarasyon letan i ti pe fer en ekspoze dan kad progranm ‘Koze Kiltir’ organize par departman kiltir.

Son kozri ti baze lo lensportans kiltir o sant tou desizyon ki ganny pran dan tou laspe gouvernman ek sekter prive. E ki desizyon ki ganny pran san met kiltir an konsiderasyon pou annan en lenpak negativ lo sosyete, lo proze devlopman, dan bann polisi e osi byen ki prezervasyon nou leritaz kiltirel pour fitir zenerasyon.

I ti dir sa kozri se pour esey konsyantiz dimoun ki nou bezwen met kiltir o sant tou desizyon ki ganny pran an azoutan ki kiltir i relye avek sport, lasante e avek tou keksoz ki nou fer dan nou lavi. E donn  li son plas neseser.

Prezan kot kozri ti plizyer personaz ki annan lyen tre pre ou endirekteman avek kiltir dan nou pei.

Me Msye D’Offay ti osi rekonnet ki i annan landrwa kot kiltir in ganny mete o sant e nou’n vwar son reisit. I ti mansyonn legzanp restoran Marie Antoinette, en restoran ki ofer zis manze kreol.

“I en vye lakaz ki depi ler Madanm Fonseka in repare fer li vin en restoran, i ankor pe servi manze kreol ziska ozordi. I en ‘prime land’ kot petet ti’n kapab ganny vann pour en kantite larzan.

En lot landrwa tipik se Jardin du Roi kot Madanm Georges. I montre ki lezislativ, egzekitiv avek zidisyer, menm si zot trwa diferan brans gouvernman, se lakiltir ki relye zot ansanm, Mye D’Offay ti eksplike.

Tout an eksplikan ki i pa pe konteste desizyon ziz pour rann son met sa landrwa kot Mize SPUP ti ete, Msye D’Offay ti donn sa legzanp lo kote zidisyer kot i ti dir si kiltir ti ganny met o sant ti a’n kapab met serten ‘clause’ kot par egzanp ou napa drwa kas sa batiman, e gard sa striktir. I ti azoute si demen met sa propriyete i deside kraz sa batiman, sa i vedir nou pe detri en paz dan nou listwar ki, kontan pa kontan, in arive.

Msye D’Offay ti al pli lwen ki sa kot i ti pran legzanp Lalmanny ek Hitler.

“Si Lalmanny ti pran sa desizyon pour dir Hitler ti en monstr me selman in kit tou bann “concentration camps” ki annan e ozordi dimoun pe peye pour zot al vizite. Alor atraver en keksoz ki pa bon, lefe ki en desizyon kiltirel in ganny pran, en bon keksoz in sorti,” i ti fer resorti.

Dan listwar Sesel, Msye D’Offay ti dir, zanmen nou’n deza annan en minister ki konmans ek kiltir. Kiltir, i ti dir, toultan i dernyen akoz i panse ki pep Seselwa i annan en fo konsep ki kiltir i zis dans moutya, bwar baka, manz gro manze olye donn li son laspe entelektyel, son laspe sosyal ki i anmennen dan nou lavi.

I ti osi fer referans dan lannen 1993 kot nou kiltir ti lo son ‘peak’ e preski sak distrik ti annan en group kiltirel. I krwar ki gouvernman sa letan, kontan pa kontan, ti krwar ki si son pep i ‘happy culturally’ ou kapab fer bokou plis akoz menm si popilasyon ti osi annan sa bann problenm ki nou annan la konmela, zot ti zwaye akoz zot ti war li diferaman. La ki i annan en mank kiltirel, i ti dir ki dimoun i tant pour vin pli materyalistik, kot sa lanvi pli gro lakaz, pli gro loto i kontinyen vin en laswaf.

Msye D’Offay ti osi mansyonn bann etidyan ki fini lekol lar si i vreman annan en lavenir pour zot vi ki plen zot i fini par pran en lot kalite karyer plitar.

I ti osi sizere ki rol ek fitir sa bann ‘graduates’ i ganny met anba mikroskop pour alafen zot a fini par fer sa lar ki zot in aprann.

Source : Seychelles NATION