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The Editorial this week highlights:- a. Central Bank of Seychelles must tighten the country’s monetary policy to empowering our islanders to work and encouraging these islanders to enter the into the commercial world. b. A statue of a Seychellois finally goes up in Seychelles – Sir James R. Mancham’s statue proudly stands in the Peace Park of Victoria. c. 2013 – Wall of Fame for performing artists. d. 2015 – Busts unveiled in the honour of Antoine Abel & Danielle de St. Jorre. e. 2015 – Tourism industry pioneers honoured.  Stand alone articles this week:- 1.BREAKING NEWS – World Travel Awards 2019 – Winners of Africa & the Indian Ocean announced. 2. World Travel Awards Africa & Indian Ocean – Reunion is Indian Ocean’s Leading Nature Destination 2019. 3. World Travel Awards reveals Africa and Indian Ocean winners in Mauritius. 4. Seychelles gearing up for the first “North American” Roadshow, in USA – June 2019. 5. Seychelles approves sale of its “Reef Hotel”. 6.  Visit to Seychelles by Daniel Delors, President of Lamikal Moris Sesel. 7. Joseph Sinon rallies a spectacular line up of local stars for his 2019 Special Event 8. Air Mauritius to start flights to Seychelles from 2nd July. 9. New tourism minister announced for South Africa. 10. 100 YEARS OF HILTON CELEBRATION IN SETCHELLES IN THE PRESENCE OF PRESIDENT DANNY FAURE. 11. Change of British High Commissioner to Seychelles – August 2019. 12. Carsten Spohr New IATA Board Chairman. 13. Children’s Day in Seychelles marked by NGO Preserve Seychelles. 14. Uganda equator is one of the most well-known landmarks in Uganda. 15. VoyagesAfriq publishes its 8th edition. 16. Closing Notes.

Welcome to this 21th edition of Vol 3 of the Saint Ange Tourism Report of 2019.

Central Bank of Seychelles must tighten the country’s monetary policy

Seychelles Central Bank

Empowering our islanders to work and encouraging these islanders to enter the into the commercial world of our islands remains more important today than ever before. Discussions and statements about the call made for Seychellois to be more proactive makes many smile because reality on the ground sings a different song. How can Seychellois Islanders move when they cannot get appropriate loans from Commercial Banks? The questions being raised today shows that unless Seychelles has the political will to empower its islanders the call made will never materialise.

On Praslin last week as farmer and a tourism support service provider both spoke about difficulties to borrow from Commercial Banks for small ventures. One hundred percent of the investment was requested for a reputed farmer of the island to purchase a pickup truck to get his products to hotels. Buying a car for work by a tourism operator who is in business already proved to be as much of a saga. The question is whether Seychelles really wants its islanders to be in business. Raising a loan is the big obstacle and Commercial Banks are not being encouraged to lend to the small business person.

It is time for the Commercial Banks in Seychelles to be more proactive and for them to give more importance to the business community. This can happen and will only happen if the Central Bank of Seychelles tightens the country’s monetary policy. Banks today are being encouraged to play safe and purchase Government Bonds as they pay minimal interests on deposits they hold from those making savings. Today deposits earn about 2% interest from the Commercial Banks, but Government Bonds earn the same Commercial Banks between 5 to 7% interests on the same deposits they hold on behalf of the businesses and working islanders.

Banks with excess liquidity should be allowed to invest only a small percentage in Government Securities. Today this continued investment by Commercial Banks is having a high return of approximately 5.5% – 7% for doing nothing. Banks are in a situation enjoying a safe investment with no risk at all and they are not passing on this profit to their clients. The mission of the Central Bank of Seychelles should be to ensure Commercial Banks are working with the Business Community to help grow the Commercial sector. Access by the Commercial Banks to Government Securities has not, and will not encourage the banks to work with potential businesses to strengthen private sector trade.

Calls made to the region to better appreciate the situation on hand showed that some Central Banks have a policy that pushes the Banks to make available a percentage of their excess liquidity to the business community for particular developments e.g. Tourism, Fisheries ect. What transpired in the calls to the regional private sector bodies showed that if the Commercial Banks do not disburse the funds for a period given by the Central Bank, these funds will be frozen until the particular Bank comes up with a good project that will help businesses.

“Tourism is a new gold ready to be explored and that tourism is an industry that has tremendous potential for further growth and job creation” said the South African President. This sounds good for an island like Seychelles where tourism is the pillar of its economy, but unless the Monetary policy of the islands move the goal posts for Commercial Banks to act as banks instead of just collecting savings and re-investing them for higher interests rates in Government Securities. The call is now being made to the Central Bank of Seychelles to tighten the islands Monetary Policy to bring benefits or opportunities to the Seychellois Islanders. Seychelles must have the political will to remove barriers being faced by its citizens.

Governor Caroline Abel of the Central Bank and her Team are all dedicated Seychellois and their work is appreciated. The Government must have the political will to push through changes that will ensure Seychellois see a light at the end of the tunnel.

A statue of a Seychellois finally goes up in Seychelles

Sir James R. Mancham’s statue proudly stands in the Peace Park of Victoria

Sir James R. Mancham
President of Seychelles
29 June 1976 – 5th June 1977

President Danny Faure stands with the Mancham Family
at the Statue unveiling ceremony

Seychelles has many statues and busts but it is the first time in our island’s history that the statue of a Seychellois Islander has been erected in the islands. This honour went to Sir James R. Mancham, the Founding President of Seychelles who was also the island’s Chief Minister and Prime Minister when the islands were still a British Colony.

ecognising our islanders who go beyond expectations was just not seen as needed until 2013 when the Department of Culture working with the Musician’s Association SEYMAS took the decision to create a Wall of Fame for performing artists. I was then the Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture and made this small step forward for Seychelles to start recognising and honouring its own ‘Seychellois by Seychelles’. This was followed in 2015 with busts of Antoine Abel and Danielle de St. Jorre being unveiled at the Kreol Institute.

Recognising “Pioneers of the Seychelles Tourism Industry” followed with a special plaque-laying ceremony at the Seychelles Tourism Academy. The event was held on Saturday September 6 as part of activities to mark Tourism Week 2015. A first batch of pioneers of Seychelles tourism who have been recognised as having played important roles in the formative years of the industry and who, by their energy, vision and commitment, set the course that we are following today were honoured.

This week Seychelles unveiled a statue of one of its Seychellois Islander.

Lady Kate Mancham posted after the unveiling of a statue to honour her husband:- “It was a dull day and I didn’t take my sunglasses. Nor a tissue. I didn’t expect to cry two and a half years after my husband died. But there I was at the unveiling of a magnificent bronze statue of him at least three metres tall, with tears streaming down my cheeks. The fact that a host of cameras were turned on me as I stood between the Vice President and the President of Seychelles did not quell the tears. All had been well. Our son, Alexander, had given a brilliant and moving tribute to his famous dad, and then a man began singing La Paloma Blanca, Jim’s song. It had been banned from the islands during his 15 years in exile after a coup d’tait. But once we arrived back it was sung everywhere we went. It was even sung as his coffin was wheeled out of the Cathedral and down the steps at his State funeral. So I sang it along with the singer and the tears flowed. Vicky Lanza lent me her sunglasses. Karen Shamlaye gave me tissues and then the President and I pulled ropes either side of the statue and its silky covering fell to the ground revealing an absolute work of art. It is magnificent. We all love it and are thankful to the artist in South Africa who crafted such a perfect image. Jim deserves be there in the Peace Garden. He worked long and hard forthe good of the world and peace on earth and we are happy to see his efforts lauded and appreciated, Thank you to the Seychelles Government who researched to find the best sculptor for the job and commissioned the work”.

On his part Alexander Mancham, the youngest son of Sir James posted after he had addressed the invitees at the unveiling of the statue: “This morning the statue of my father, the late Sir James Richard Marie Mancham was unveiled to the public. I felt deeply honoured as his son to be able to play my part in overseeing this creation as well as speaking on behalf of the family”.

The statue came at a cost over $110,000 and was crafted by Jean Doyle, one of South Africa’s leading sculptors, together with her son Anton Doyle. It took around six months to complete, a process that was facilitated by Eden Island.

2013 – Wall of Fame for performing artists

The “Wall of Fame” at the National Cultural Centre was to recognise performing artists devotion to music. A spot on the Seychelles ‘Wall of Fame’ at the National Cultural Centre in the Seychelles capital of Victoria with their names inscribed in a star-shaped plaque was the first start of Seychelles recognising its own islanders who became success stories for the islands.

The launching of the ‘Wall of Fame’ was a way of paying tribute to Seychellois artists.This is an initiative of the Seychelles Musicians Association (SEYMAS) and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. Speaking at the ceremony to mark the creation of the Wall of Fame, the chairman of SEYMAS, Ralf Amesbury said the recognition is a way of compensating performing artists for their efforts, creativity and active participation on the local musical scene.

2015 – Busts unveiled in the honour of
Antoine Abel & Danielle de St. Jorre

In 2015 after having witnessed more Seychellois artists being added onto the “Wall of Fame”, Seychelles proudly hosted a ceremony at the International Creole institute in honor of Antoine Abel, on the eve of the departed 80th birthday. A bust in the honour of Antoine Abel is now at the Kreole Institute. The highlight of the event was to launch a book containing a series of poems written by Antoine Abel, entitled “Les memoires D’Antoine”. Antoine Abel is a very respected Seychellois poet, and his first publication was ‘Paille en Queue’ published in 1969, where he put on paper the souvenirs of his childhood. Mr Abel said that there were good times and bad ones, but all told in such a way that shows his joy of living on such an island. It was the very first poetic publication in Seychelles.

On the 28th October 2015, the day set aside by the United Nations as the International Creole Day Danielle de St.Jorre was recognised for her work as a leader to get the Creole Language and Culture to be where it is today. To mark the occasion a bust was unveiled in her honour at the Creole Institute.

Present for the occasion was President James Michel of Seychelles amongst many family and friends of the late Danielle de St.Jorre including her daughter Anne Laure and her family. Opening the ceremony was Penda Choppy, the CEO of the Creole Institute who presented in detail the works of Danielle de St.Jorre firstly as PS for Education and Information before taking up the office of Secretary of State for Planning and External Relations before being appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, Planning and Environment in 1993. Madame Choppy said that it was Minister Alain St.Ange who wanted to see Danielle de St.Jorre recognised and honoured with her bust at the Creole Institute.

Danielle de St.Jorre was instrumental in the development of the Seychellois Kreol and helped develop partnerships with the Creole People from the other Creole Speaking World. In Seychelles she organised for the first time in 1982 a Creole Week and in 1985 the first Festival Kreol.

When he took to the podium Minister Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture said that recognising those who had worked for the country was important. “A year ago we honoured Antoine Abel, the man behind creole literature in Seychelles. Today we are recognising Danielle de St.Jorre, the GodMother of the Creole Institute of Seychelles. I am reminded of Danielle de St.Jorre from the days when she was my teacher at the Seychelles College. She then then proved herself and we all knew her as Principal Secretary and then as a Minister. She defended our Seychellois Creole Culture and helped safeguard it to be where it is today.” Minister St.Ange said.

“Our 30th Anniversary Celebrations of our annual Festival Kreol has been an opportunity for all who see themselves as defenders of our culture to be seen and to be counted. This year during the week long celebrations Seychelles welcomed an Air Seychelles plane that is now on our local register. The plane is flying our Creole Spirit as is stated on it tag line. We also started the process to have the 1935 Drums Regulation that banned the beating of drums in Victoria and other areas, we laid the foundation stone for a new Music Stadium right in the heart of Victoria at English River and only this week God started to speak to us in our Kreol now that we have launched a complete Bible in Seychellois Creole” said Minister Alain St.Ange.

When he ended his speech Minister St.Ange quoted a paragraph from former President Albert Rene delivered in 1982 on the occasion of the launching the first Creole Week in Seychelles. ” Today is really a historical day. In our development we have three phases:- we have political independence, economic independence and we have cultural independence. The organisation of this Creole Week is a real sign that says that we have taken our own history into our own hands. Three years later in1985 President Rene said that the Creole week was now part and parcel of the lives of the People of Seychelles and that the time was right to declare it a national Festival” said Minister St.Ange. (Extract from the Department of Culture’s publication)

2015 – Tourism industry pioneers honoured

Pioneers of the Seychelles Tourism Industry were honoured at a special plaque-laying ceremony at the Seychelles Tourism Academy. The event took place on Saturday September 26 as part of activities to mark Tourism Week 2015.

The Seychelles Tourism Board honoured a first batch of pioneers of Seychelles tourism who have been recognised as having played important roles in the formative years of the industry and who, by their energy, vision and commitment, set the course that we are following today.

Tourism and Culture Minister Alain St Ange has welcomed the country’s tourism trade and friends of the island’s tourism industry to the event. “Recognising those who have helped build our Seychelles is important. At the House of Culture, the National Cultural Centre in Victoria, our musicians today have their ‘Wall of Fame’ and at the Creole Institute we have already unveiled a bust for Antoine Abel to recognise his work as a poet and also as one of our popular authors. This coming Saturday it will be the first batch of pioneers of our tourism industry who will be recognised,” said Minister St Ange. (Extract from publication of the Ministry of Tourism & Culture)

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