Maître Belle shares message he sent founding President Mancham before collecting Africa Peace trophy   |28 June 2023

Maître Belle and Seychelles founding President Mancham (Photo: Contributed)

Seychelles’ founding President, Sir James R. Mancham received the Medal of the Republic posthumously during yesterday’s first national awards presentation ceremony at State House.

Lady Catherine Mancham and son Alexander Mancham received the medal on behalf of Mr Mancham who was knighted in 1976 by Queen Elizabeth II as an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

This brought back memories for Mr Mancham’s longtime friend and associate, lawyer Daniel Belle.

Maître Belle would like to share with our readers the message he sent Mr Mancham on Friday April 8, 2016 before he left Seychelles on Saturday April 9, 2016 for Nairobi, Kenya to receive the Africa Peace Award 2016 awarded by the United Religions Initiative (URI-Africa) for his contribution to peace in Africa and elsewhere.

“Sir James, my dear friend,

“What tremendous pleasure I enjoy today in partaking in the great honour and gratification bestowed on you – the Africa Peace Price 2016. For over half a century, you have dedicated your energy to satisfy meaningful hard work and charismatic leadership, in politics, humanities and international relations and to humanise the resolution of political armed conflicts and civil strife.

“From our remote little Seychelles, you have travelled to continents and cities far-and-wide, at times without respite, to profess the values and merits of peace within a nation and among nations. As an apostle of peace, you maintain your firm conviction that international conflicts should be resolved first and foremost by soft power and by the values of right and not might.

“I recall that when you started in politics in the early 60s, the motto of your Seychelles Democratic Party was ‘Peace, Progress and Prosperity’. It followed that the leitmotiv of your government in the 70s was ‘a friend to all and an enemy to none’. After you were deposed, you flew high in foreign skies like the albatross, immaculately white and not tarnished.

“Your signatory tune was ‘La Paloma Blanca’, a biblical symbol of peace, silvery white, like the Hemmingway beard that carves your own face. A face on which there appears no signs of hatred, no yearning for dominant power, but the eternal friendly smile that wrinkles in unison the great lines of your own life’s history. A history so far, made of leadership and compassion, songs and poetry, political and philosophical writing, letters, articles and speeches from which flows your political wisdom – the wisdom of the accomplished altar boy of Lodge Street, who read law at Middle Temple, was founder President of our Republic and later stood out as one of the most eminent founding fathers of our restored democratic Constitution of our Third Republic. I remember you drafted its preamble all by yourself one night and it was approved with unanimity the next morning by the Constitutional commission.

“I recalled that upon your return from exile in 1992, before a politically polarised Seychellois nation you controlled your calm and contained your passion. As the ‘apostle of reconciliation’, you looked at the greater picture and you resisted the spurring for quick uncertain political power and the uncalculated risks it could entail for the people.

“You may have lost dominant political power in Seychelles but you have, statesmanlike, contributed tremendously towards the political stability and related happiness that you commended and that our country and people are still enjoying today.

“And my dear friend and mentor, you will soon receive the Peace accolade of the leaders of Africa who have already adopted you as one of their eminent wise men. Like a Gandhi, a Desmond Tutu, and a Mandela, your name will resound and will be defined as that of the man of the Peace for which the majority of humanity is craving for, and for which the people of Seychelles are still blessed to be graced with.

“Congratulations Sir James and Peace be on you, too.”

When he was asked for a comment on Mr Belle’s eulogical message, Sir James said – “In life our greatest glory exists not in never failing but in rising every time we fail.”