The Board of the Seychelles Heritage Foundation |12 September 2020

Members of the Board in their orange T-shirts

As the Seychelles Heritage Board of Directors terminates its 3-year mandate, TONY MATHIOT, the chairman, talks about their accomplishments.

On September 26, 2017, I was appointed chairman of the Seychelles Heritage Foundation Board of Directors by President Danny Faure. It was an honour for me to be assigned to a post that involves the protection and the economic exploitation of our cultural heritage and historical patrimony. Eight new members to the board were elected, among whom I was familiar with half of them. We were to be the third Board since the Seychelles Heritage Foundation was created in 2006. The new CEO, Benjamine Rose, had been elected in July 2017. We held our first meeting on October 9, 2017 at the International Conference Centre in the presence of Mitcy Larue who was then Minister for Youth, Sports and Culture. Although our Act (Act 11 of 2006) stipulates that the Board should meet not less than four times a year during our 3-year mandate, right at the outset the Board, together with the CEO, agreed that we meet every last Monday of every month so that we maintain a more regular watch over SHF’s plans and projects. Our meetings were held at the Mayor’s Office, and on average they lasted for 2 hours (4.15pm to 6.15pm). May I introduce the members of my Board according to their sitting order that is dextro versum:

Alessandra Azais des Comtes Tastistcheff – Ambassador of the Sovereign military order of Malta and an accomplished artist. A book of her botanical water colour paintings ‘The tropical plants of Seychelles’ came out in 2019.
Victorin Laboudallon – A lifelong environmentalist par excellence and the founder of TRASS (Terrestrial Restoration Action Social of Seychelles). A local fern is named after him: Ptisana Laboudalloniana.
David Andre – Mayor of Victoria and composer of our National Anthem ‘Koste Seselwa’.
Roy Fonseka – A former warrant officer in SAS (Special Air Service) who fought in the Falklands War in 1982. In 1993 he introduced the first security firm, Pilgrims Security, in Seychelles.
Andreix Rosalie – A Diguois, he is nationally renowned for his advocacy of the creole heritage, and his knowledge of our creole culture is yes, awesome.
Julienne Barra – Director General in the department of Culture. She was formerly director of Seychelles National Heritage at La Bastille.
Amia Jovanovic-Desir – Director for India, Australia and South East Asia at STB (Seychelles Tourism Board)
Penny Belmont – CEO of SNYC (Seychelles National Youth Council). Formerly CEO of SENPA (Seychelles Enterprise National Promotion Agency) later ESA (Enterprise Seychelles Agency).
Benjamine Rose – CEO of SHF (Seychelles Heritage Foundation) formerly principal secretary in the department of Culture.
In April 2019, the Board appointed Alyssa Monthy, the private secretary at SHF to be the Board’s secretary. Her assiduity and diligence is an asset to the Board.

I am proud of my Board. I think of us as being an excellent Board. Our combined calibre and individual attributes make us a sort of refinement of perfection. Alright, allow me to say this – we are the Swiss Army knife of Boards of Directors!

During the course of our meetings I have come to know and to appreciate the distinctive traits and the temperamental peculiarities of each member of my Board.

Seychelles Heritage Foundation is responsible for 5 heritage sites:

La Plaine St Andre. This is where the Jorre de St Jorre family lived in 1792. The original house was burned in 1990 while it was undergoing a major overhaul. In 2010, the Trois Frères Distillery which manufactures the phenomenally popular Takamaka Rum bidded for the place and won. The D’Offay brothers undertook the magnificent re-construction of the house to convert it into an elegant rustic creole restaurant. Before that, Trois Frères Distillery which started operation in 2002 was based at Providence. It is a declared National Monument.
The Creole Institute. This old plantation house of the early 1920s was renovated in 1989. It is presently under renovation. It is a declared National Monument.
The Mission Ruins. These are the ruins of Venn’s Town at Sans Soucis, a sanctuary for the children liberated Africans which was opened in 1875 by the Christian Missionary Society. It is a national monument.
The Bel Ombre Treasure Site. Since 1949, excavations have been carried out on this site. According to legend, it is where the notorious French Pirate, Olivier Le Vasseur alias La Buse (1689-1730) hid his biggest treasure. The site has not yet been declared a national monument.
Domaine de Val des Près – This is a re-creation of a typical creole homestead of a bygone era. It comprises a gigantic timber plantation house dating from the 1870s, a traditional kitchen and the servant’s dwelling house. With the idea of making it a creole heritage site, a creole restaurant ‘Pomme Canelle’ and a craft village of a dozen workshops for artisans were added. Originally known as St Roch Estate, the place opened as Domaine de Val des Près on October 24, 1988 during the annual Creole week. At the present time, the offices of the Seychelles Heritage Foundation are in the old Plantation house. Domaine de Val des Près is a national monument.

The fact that these five aforementioned sites are scheduled in our Act, it should not be misconstrued that SHF’s concern should be confined to them exclusively. Not at all. All historical buildings and sites in Seychelles equally matter. Thus, SHF is very much involved in their protection and one such site is the L’Union Estate cemetery on La Digue.

During the first months of its operation, the Board familiarised itself with SHF’s plans and targets. We discussed a myriad of subjects pertaining to SHF’s potential projects. The CEO, Ms Rose, apprised the board of SHF’s projects for the year 2018, among which the renovation of the house followed by the re-opening of Domaine de Val des Près was a priority. This event, which took place during Heritage week on April 26, 2018, was a highlight of our activities. A new additional amenity, a creole restaurant named ‘Maison Marengo’ was opened. In the spirit of maintaining a good relationship with our international partners, CEO Rose attended a 4-day meeting of the International Federation of Arts Council Africa (IFFACA) which was held in Nambia from August 19 – 23, 2018. The Seychelles Heritage Foundation is an affiliated member of IFFACA. (Section 4 ce) of our ACT States that the Seychelles Heritage Foundation should ‘endeavour to win international support for activities designed to promote the heritage of Seychelles’. Moreover, SHF avails itself of every opportunity to participate in international activities that are relevant to our goals. In 2019 (April 7 to 12) the CEO and two staff members attended the 2019 culture summit that was held in Abu Dhabi with representatives of other cultural institutions from around the world. They discussed common issues of cultural heritage. From August 9 to 10, 2019 the CEO attended the African Fashion week exhibition that was held in London. She brought along local souvenir items from the kiosk vendors which were very well appreciated by visitors during the two-day event. On the whole the year 2019 was a tremendously successful year for SHF, a year which has seen quite a few of its projects flourish. May 3, 2019 saw the Launching Branding of Domaine de Val des Près. This included the opening of the Patchouli Heritage shop by the Designated Minister Macsuzy Mondon(who had assumed responsibility for youth, sports and culture in April 2018) and myself. This is the outlet where DVD P’s distinctive line of branded goods are sold to foreign and local visitors. During Heritage week 2019 new heritage clubs were launched in three schools (Au Cap, Mont Fleuri and La Digue). In the context of our Heritage Education Programmes, SHF organised traditional activities for primary and secondary school children during the August holidays. Our heritage clubs have had the opportunity to go on a day trip to Silhouette. This is in pursuance to a Protocol of Partnership signed by the general manager of Hilton Seychelles Labriz and the department of Culture on January 18, 2019. I personally accompanied members of our heritage clubs on some of their visits in order to give them a rudimentary knowledge of the history of the island (… that it was first called Ile du Nord…that it was named after Etienne de Silhouette, a French Financial Controller in the court of Louis XV).

There is a pernicious tendency to confuse Seychelles Heritage Foundation (SHF) with National Heritage Institute (NHI). The latter, which was established in 1980 and based at La Bastille, ‘has the mission of collecting, researching, documenting and promoting the Seychelles’ tangible and intangible heritage’. It is the executive arm of the National Monuments Board, established by Act 19 of 1980, which recommends to the minister the declaration of any monuments as a national monument. At present there are 45 national monuments. SHF promotes projects in view of raising funds and we discuss projects with potential stakeholders. Such a case is a proposed project by Hunt Deltel to have a zip lining amenity erected at Mission Lodge. The project is still under discussion or maybe in abeyance. It was while in the process of getting a pirogue for the Domaine de Val des Près that I learned that the only remaining builder of our traditional pirogue is an 82-year-old Pralinois named Jonas Victor. Some members of the board together with the CEO travelled to Praslin to visit him.

In August of 2019, SHF applied for the US Ambassador’s Cultural Funds for a grant which could help with the restoration of the Mission Ruins. The grant is a sum between US $10,000-200,000. CEO Rose and myself accompanied the American Ambassador to Seychelles, David Dale Reimer, on a visit to the Mission Ruins for him to appreciate the historical significance of the place and the scope of work that needs to be done. We are still awaiting a reply to our application. Meanwhile, fencing has been erected around the mission ruins site with a gate allowing entrance to visitors. Foreigners will pay a small fee while local residents will enter free. The place will soon be available for weddings, photo sessions, and gatherings for a fee and toilet facilities will soon be available. A monument commemorating the 145^th anniversary of the lease agreement between the Civil Commissioner, Sir Charles Spencer Salmon and the Christian Missionary Society for the construction of Venn’s Town in 1875 will be erected at the Mission Ruins later this year.

Last year SHF issued its ‘business’ card and 2 brochures, one for the Mission Ruins and one for Domaine de Val des Près. Our heritage map will soon be out. Our administrative block is presently under construction at Au Cap. I am filled with a sense of gratification that we have been able to expand on the work done by the previous administration headed by Patrick Nanty and Miera Savy.

The milestone event of the 250^th Anniversary of the First Settlement in Seychelles (1770-2020) was commemorated at Maison Marengo, Domaine de Val des Près, not with pomp and pageantry but in an atmosphere of merriment nevertheless. Invitees included dignitaries and high-ranking officials. I was given the privilege to open a coffee garden. Marco Francis presented his Le Vasseur Rum to the guests. The official song/video for the celebrations entitled ‘Nou bann zil’ (Sellable Sesel) composed by our member David Andre was launched. The song is performed by David Andre himself and a constellation of local stars. The principal secretary for Culture, Cecile Kalebi, opened the traditional medicinal plants bazaar in the context of Africa Traditional Medicinal Day which is officially commemorated on August 31. From August 28 to 29, that is from Saturday to Sunday, herbalists and farmers brought their concoctions and products to sell at Domaine de Val des Près. This activity was organised by SHF in collaboration with the department of Culture and SNYC (Seychelles National Youth Council). Lastly, CEO Rose and PS Kalebi cut the commemorative cake.

It is certainly with an indefatigable spirit and a tenacity of purpose that the SHF Board of Directors together with our CEO, Ms Rose, have stirred SHF towards its goals of promoting tradition, culture and history.

I am proud to say ‘yes, we are sharp’!