Seychellois learn the lion and dragon dance |17 August 2023

(L to r) Mr Chong Seng, SG Andre and Mr Mu during the handover of the costumes

A group of Seychellois youth is having the unique opportunity to learn the lion and dragon dance in a ten-day workshop, under the guidance of Professor Tian Haijun from Jiaying university of Meizhou City.

This was made possible through a collaboration between the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts (SNICHA) and the Chinese embassy in Seychelles. 

The visit of Professor Tian follows an official request by the Institute in collaboration with the Chinese Association of Seychelles to the Chinese embassy based in Seychelles.

The Chinese embassy also handed over the costumes and a musical instrument that will be used for the lion and dragon dance, to the secretary general of SNICHA, David Andre, and to the chairman of the Chinese Association of Seychelles, Philip Chong Seng.

The lion and dragon dance is a Chinese traditional dance that is well appreciated in Seychelles, especially during the celebration of the Chinese New Year and for specific private events organised by the Chinese community.

To ensure the continuity of this art form, Professor Tian is conducting ten days of training with talented, interested local students from secondary schools at the Music Stadium from August 14 to 25, 2023 from 9am to 3.30pm. A total of 25 students are participating.

The Chinese embassy based in Seychelles contributed towards the purchase of the costumes and logistics for the workshop. SNICHA is covering the professor’s accommodation and transport.

The charge d’affaires from the Chinese embassy, Mu Jianfeng, noted that promoting the Chinese culture is one of the aims of the embasssy. 

“Through cultural exchanges, we are able to enhance understanding between Seychelles and China and we also consolidate our friendship through these events. We are happy to have been able to support this initiative and we hope to see some nice performances at the end of the workshop,” he stated.

In 2013 a similar training was held with Mont Fleuri students by a Chinese lion dance instructor, assisted by two Chinese lion dancers. The trained students performed up to 2019.

Mr Andre noted that this is an exciting moment for Seychelles.

“This initiative started some time back and we got a few costumes as gifts. Over the years the costumes have worn out. We are happy to bring back this activity for the young Seychellois. Culture brings people together and Seychelles being a place of diversity, we not only celebrate our culture but we also learn from other cultures. It is an example where we can live together. We can use culture to bring peace and harmony,” said SG Andre.

Prof. Haijun shared that during the training they will prepare rich content to meet the needs of different groups of people as much as possible.

“On the one hand it teaches students to keep the dragon and lion dance skills in Seychelles and become a popular cultural project and on the other hand it lays a technical foundation for future improvement, participation in international competitions or cultural exchanges between China and Seychelles.”

Prof Haijun also explained that in China, the dragon is the cultural totem of the Chinese nation and the lion is the national symbol of self-improvement. People often reproduce the majesty of the dragon and the bravery of the lion through physical activities such as running and jumping holding a dragon and a lion, expressing their inner feelings during festivals and celebrations, expressing people’s sincere feelings for their homeland and world, and their respect for the five thousand years of Chinese civilisation.

At the end of the workshop, each participant will receive a certificate of participation and will showcase a performance to demonstrate what they have learnt during the workshop.

Vidya Gappy

Photo: Louis Toussaint