Outer Islands of Seychelles |03 May 2010
Their history is fascinating and unique in the world yet they have remained virtually
They were discovered and charted by Arab, Portuguese, French and British sailors but their exact position and in some cases even their names remained unclear well into the 19th century, resulting in many a shipwreck. Eventually they were settled, becoming amongst the last islands on earth to receive human inhabitants.
The people who toiled on the islands were isolated for months at a time, with no contact with their employers on Mahé or indeed the rest of humanity, like a satellite colony marooned on another planet. It was essential for survival that they were totally self reliant for all their needs -- from medical care and food to law and order.
This is a story of a way of life that appeared from nowhere, rapidly evolved and adapted to suit the requirements of an ever changing world and it continues to do so. Life could be harsh and sometimes short, with no possibility of assistance in the case of emergency such as an appendicitis, serious accident or even murder. Today, there are airstrips for emergency evacuation and satellite communications to maintain daily contact with the outside world.
The islands are now managed by the Islands Development Company (IDC). Without doubt the quality of life for islanders has been raised immeasurably, yet the islands and the special breed of person they attract to their shores remain much the same.
In Chapter One, local historian Kantilal Jivan Shah sets the scene with the story of the early exploration and settlement of the islands of the western Indian Ocean. In Chapter Two writer and historian Judith Skerrett traces the history of the outer islands from discovery and settlement through to the arrival of the IDC, with a special focus on the copra industry. The story of the IDC is related in Chapter Three by a man whose name has been synonymous in modern times with the outer islands themselves, Glenny Savy.
Chapter Four, by Adrian and Judith Skerrett is a Gazetteer of the islands which will be a useful source of reference for anyone seeking background information on the islands from their location, the origin of their name, their history and their flora and fauna.
In Chapter Five, Telma Pool and others interview islanders and those who provided their lifeline by air or sea. These accounts of daily life in the islands are stories that have never been told before, with amusing anecdotes, dramatic incidents, superstitions and the story of a distinctive culture. This human history may never have been told were in not for this documentation of their life and times.
Chapter Six is a miscellany of tales from the islands. There is the struggle to establish self sufficiency on remote Astove, a giant tortoise who took an instant dislike to some invaders of his island home, the old way of life, turtle hunts, shipwrecks, murder and ghost stories.
Chapter Seven documents the arrival of conservation awareness and the recognition of the need to respect the environment of these fragile islands. Finally Chapter Eight looks to a future, in which development, conservation and ecotourism will go hand in hand.
Despite all the changes inflicted upon them, the outer islands remain some of the most beautiful islands in the world, epitomising the dream of untouched tropical splendour and an escape from the rat race, craved by many from the wealthier countries of the world. In a world where unspoilt beauty is an increasing rarity, the outer islands are priceless.
They are among the last islands on earth where untamed nature rules supreme. With careful planning they may yet prove to be the tourism destination of the future, appreciated by a new kind of tourist and producing an income for Seychelles far greater than the workers that struggled to survive on the old coconut plantations could ever have imagined.
A contribution