IT IS ALL ABOUT CREOLE HERITAGE AND IDENTITY THIS YEAR AS THE #SEYCHELLES GEAR UP TO THEIR FESTIVAL KREOL
(Posted 14th September 2017)
Having attended all the previous editions of what was until last year known as the ‘Carnival International de Victoria, aka Carnaval de Carnivals‘ will this year’s inaugural combination of the annual ‘Festival Kreol‘ and the ‘Seychelles Carnival‘ mark a new milestone on the islands.
A year ago did I report from Mahe about the Festival Kreol and how it galvanized the general public to participate as the stadium in the heart of Victoria was jampacked for the main parade and show event.
This year, with the two events combined, yet more is expected and the preliminary programme now released by the Seychelles Tourism Board and the event organizers ‘CINEA‘ short for the Seychelles Creative Industries and National Event Agency gives an overview of what is to come.
It is in fact the Seychelles’ Creative Industries and National Events Agency [CINEA] which will be hosting the 32nd edition of the Creole Festival with activities planned from the 01st to the 31st of October in an entire month dedicated to Creole heritage, culture, poetry, song, food and fashion.
The main highlights and activities targeting the general public and international guests will start on October 20th though events begin already on the 01st of the month.
The month-long event will be held under the theme: ‘Proud of my identity.’
An authentic Creole village will be built in Victoria, the capital, where guest countries will have their own pavilions to showcase their respective culture and traditions.
Musical animation in Victoria, traditional dance performances, exhibitions, seminars on various topics surrounding the Creole heritage, fashion events showcasing professional designers and fashion students, are some of the dozens of events featured on the programme of activities.
The ‘Kanmtole Competition’ is among the most popular activities where school students as well as participants from workplaces and districts compete in showcasing their skills dancing the Seychelles’ traditional dances of European origin – known as the ‘kanmtole‘.
Also popular is ‘Fon Lanmal’ a fashion evening featuring professional designers from Seychelles and other Creole countries, as well as students from the local art and design school. Classifying participants in separate categories, the event is aimed at showcasing talent in designing traditional costumes or culturally-inspired contemporary fashion.
New to this year’s Creole Festival is an ‘International Senerade‘ or in Creole language ‘Laserenade Enternasyonal‘. This is the former Carnaval International de Victoria previously organized by the Seychelles Tourism Board that has been merged with the traditional serenade held each year during the Creole Festival.
Planned for Saturday October 28th, the International Serenade will feature participants from Seychelles, other Creole nations as well as guests from non-creole countries. They will parade the streets of Victoria depicting their respective cultures through colourful costumes, music, dance and other performances.
It is important to note though that the Creole Festival is the main event that celebrates the Seychelles’ Creole origin and culture through dances, other cultural manifestation, literature and cuisine among others.
Seychelles, which gained independence from Great Britain in 1976 is a young nation that can trace its roots to the first settlement in the 1700s.
Once inhabited by French and British settlers, African slaves, and Chinese and Indian traders, the Seychellois population is today a mix of races and cultures that make up the Creole nation.
Creole, which is mainly derived from the French language, is the native language of the Seychelles, which resulted from the descendants of settlers from Europe, traders from Asia and former slaves from Africa, who later intermarried, forming the melting pot of culture which exists today finding their own means to communicate and understand one another.
It was to uphold the Creole culture that the first Creole week was organised in 1982, later becoming the Creole Festival in 1985.
Since 2015, the festival which is viewed as one of the most important events on the Seychelles calendar of cultural activities has been spread over a month, offering residents and visitors alike an assortment of colours, sounds, flavours and fragrances of the Seychelles islands with the participation of other Creole nations.
Find below links to previous articles filed about the Festival Kreol to even more keenly anticipate this year’s live reporting from Victoria, aka the Creole Capital of the World.
https://atcnews.org/2016/10/31/festival-kreol-a-uniting-factor-across-the-seychelles-society/
https://atcnews.org/2016/10/29/president-faure-attends-festival-kreol-gala-performance/
https://atcnews.org/2016/09/06/festival-kreol-showcases-the-seychelles-heritage/
https://atcnews.org/2015/10/28/festival-kreol-to-take-a-new-direction-from-next-year/
https://atcnews.org/2013/10/29/festival-kreol-seen-through-the-lense-of-my-camera/
