National Arts Council gets new board |30 May 2015

The Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St Ange has appointed the new board members of the National Arts Council (Nac).
They are Gabriel Essack (chairperson), Jimmy Savy (ex officio member), Ralph Amesbury, John Stravens, Leon Radegonde, Jenita Laporte and Marco Francis as ordinary members.
The appointment, which takes effect immediately, is for a period of two years.

Minister St Ange, accompanied by his principal secretary for culture Benjamine Rose this week met the board’s chairperson Gabriel Essack and the Nac’s chief executive Jimmy Savy at the ministry's ESPACE offices.  

Minister St Ange thanked the outgoing board members and expressed appreciation for their work and support and spelled out the challenges of the new board as seen by the ministry.

"We have embarked on a new positioning of culture to be at the base of our tourism industry and in so doing placing our people at the centre of our development. To achieve this we need to ensure Seychelles as a whole respects the culture of our islands and that we all proudly want to stand behind our culture. This is our work," said Minister St Ange.  

The development and the consolidation of arts and culture in Seychelles has in recent years taken a big leap forward, and this has been termed by the artists themselves as a 'cultural revolution' in Seychelles.

Minister St Ange said that the consolidation of arts and culture will be achieved through the work of the Nac at grassroots level with continued direct involvement with such initiatives as the District Cultural Awards among others.

"We shall continue to work with all our art and culture groups as we now engage the tourism board as well to include more Seychellois culture at marketing and sales events overseas," said Minister St Ange.