250 Years of Seychelles’ celebrations

It is in a ceremony at the International Conference Centre of Seychelles (ICCS) in Victoria, on Tuesday September 17, 2019 that the President of the Republic, Mr. Danny Faure officially launched the activities commemorating the 250^th anniversary of Seychelles.

The launch organised by the national preparatory committee for the 250 years of Seychelles saw the presence of several high Government officials including the Designated Minister, Mrs Macsuzy Mondon; the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr. Nicholas Prea; the Leader of the Opposition party Mr. Wavel Ramkalawan and the leader of Government Business Mr. Charles de Commarmond.

In her speech during the ceremony, Mrs Sherin Francis- chairperson of the committee mentioned the colourful history of the Seychelles throughout its 250 years of existence and urged all Seychellois to be part of the celebrations.

She further expressed her profound gratitude to all the organisations, including government offices, schools, private sector, artists, private individuals who have responded positively to the various media calls by presenting their projects and ideas to make the celebrations a success.

“We are all honoured as Committee Member to be part of this celebration, but mostly it has been very humbling to see how much our Seychelles is a proud nation through the various contribution of their ideas and time. The celebrations remain a way for us to celebrate our beloved country and share with our next generations the real sense of the word patriotism,” said Mrs. Francis.

The ceremony conducted in the three national languages of Seychelles opened its curtains on singing presentation from Angel’s Choir singing the blessing song “Ouver ou Leker” written by Raymond Clarisse and ended on a light note through a dance performance-dubbed “Nou Lorizin”-retracing the early days of Seychelles by the youth from the Seychelles National Youth Council (SNYC).

About the Committee

• A national preparatory committee chaired by Seychelles Tourism Board Chief Executive, Sherin Francis was appointed by President Danny Faure in August 2018.
• The committee, which consists of seven other members namely Jeannine Chung Faye, Emanuel D’Offay, Sybille Cardon, Oliver Bastienne, Tony Mathiot, David Andre, Cindy Vidot and Alvin Laurence.
• On May 30, 2019, the cabinet endorsed of the proposed plan to celebrate 250th anniversary of the first settlement in 2020.
• In June 2019, the 250 years national preparatory committee organised a press meeting to address the Seychelles press partners for the first time and unveil the logo of this historic event.