Sheychelles Part 4

Date: 2014-02-07

Seychelles has a rich culture of celebration. If you venture out you're likely to find a bar where locals hang out, and there it is most likely that you will find a party and you will definitely be invited to join in. On our first night in Mahe we decided to investigate and walked into a roaring jamboree.

Treasure Cove and the Olivier Lavasseur Restaurant is a small hotel situated on the Beau Villon stretch of coastline. Its owner is none other than the Minister of Finance, Pierre Laporte, together with his extended family, has created a real melting pot where both locals and foreigners can mix, dance and celebrate the festive island life.

We were amazed to find that the minister is also an accomplished musician and on number of occasions when we returned to Treasure Cove, we found Minister Laporte behind the mike singing traditional Seychellois tunes. It was truly a fabulous experience and a visit to Treasure Cove is a must when in Seychelles, not only for the music but also for the traditional creole food experience.

On one such visit we met the country musical hero, Patrick Victor. Patrick is a national hero and he has brought about the revival of the Moutya, a traditional Creole music and dance of Seychelles. Patrick took the time to tell me about his life on the island and how his international fame and recognition only inspired him to return to the islands and create music for his people.

There is nothing more beautiful than the folk tales, island folk tales top that list. Wherever we go we make sure that it is the first things we find out about the country and its people. Seychelles has many fantastically enchanting tales that make the island very intriguing.

Treasure Cove Hotel is set on the sight where the French buccaneer, Olivier Levasseur, is believed to have buried his treasure. Levasseur was known as "La Buse," which is French for buzzard. He was driven from the Caribbean with scores of other buccaneers and corsairs in the early 18th century.

The treasure was captured in 1721, when a crippled Portuguese ship anchored off Reunion Island ran aground. The Portuguese viceroy and archbishop of Goa were on board the Virgen del Cabo, as was a hefty treasure of gold, diamonds and religious paraphernalia of prodigious value. Each pirate got a share of 42 diamonds and 5,000 guineas and it took three pirates to carry the golden cross of Goa off the stricken boat.

Levasseur was a Greek and Latin scholar apparently versed in free masonry and it is widely believed that he buried the bounty according to a complex riddle inspired by the 12 labours of Hercules. The treasure was never recovered or reported found to this day.

The Seychelles was referred to in Arab manuscripts from 810 and 916, but the islands were not settled since they were bypassed by the monsoon trading routes. Vasco da Gama sighted the Amirantes coral group in 1502, shortly after rounding the Cape of Good Hope. He mapped the main group of the islands as the Seven Sisters and the Amirantes coral islands in 1517. In 1756 the French Crown annexed the islands and they were named after the Finance Controller Vicomte S€chelles.

There were no attempts to settle the islands until 1770 when 15 Frenchmen, seven slaves, five south Indians and an African woman from Reunion were sent there to attempt to grow spices, in which the Dutch had established a monopoly trade.

Refugees from France's Indian colonies that had fallen to the British increased the settler's numbers. Sadly the spice growing experiment was unsuccessful and the islanders on Mahe focused rather on supplying passing slave ships with the meat and shells of tortoises and turtles.

It was in 1786 Jean-Baptiste-Philogne de Malavois arrived to govern the small colony that consisted of eight White and four Free Black families and their slaves. Malavois attempted to regulate land tenure and set aside much of the land for allocation to future married male settlers. It was Malavois who encouraged the development of agriculture and encouraged immigration from R€union and Mauritius.

Today the population of Seychelles is made up of a rich cosmopolitan colourful blend of peoples of different races, cultures and religions. At different times in its history, people of African, European and Asian origin have come to Seychelles, bringing with them their distinct traditions and customs and contributing to the way of life and to the vibrant Seychellois culture.

One can see these influences at work throughout the domains of local art, cuisine, music, dance and architecture.

The architectural design of some of the grand old houses with their steep roofs are representative of a style adapted for comfortable living in the tropics that displays influences from Seychelles' French and British colonial heritage. Modern architecture attempts to assimilate traditional styles with practical features designed to capture the island breezes.

Local artists continue to exhibit diverse styles that echo the multi-ethnic backdrop of the islands and bear testament to the various influences, which have come to bear. Creole music and dance have their roots in African, Malagasy and European cultures with rhythms traditionally accompanied by simple drums and string instruments, which, today, include such recent imports as the violin and guitar. Patrick Victor is a great example of deep traditional creole sound.

The traditional moutya is an erotic dance derived from the days of slavery and still features today, together with the sega, with its colourful lyrics; the kanmtole, reminiscent of a country reel, and the Kontredanse, an import from the French court.

Officially the Republic of Seychelles, based on per capita income, is the wealthiest nation in Africa. However for us the Seychelles' wealth does not come from its GDP, it stems from the Treasure Cove of its beautiful people.

Sheychelles Part 4

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