International School Seychelles celebrates joyous Creole Day |22 October 2022

The International School's Creole Day yesterday was full of the colours, sounds and flavours of Creole which treasured Seychellois traditions while celebrating the Seychellois and Creole identity of the present and the future.

Creole Day was a tribute to the colourful culture, customs, traditions and practices of the Creole lifestyle.This day was a celebration of the culture, experienced through dance, music, arts, crafts, cuisine, and general way of life.

Many came to school dressed in flamboyant Creole colours to celebrate the culture of Seychelles. Some went one step further and combed their hair in traditional Creole hairstyles.

The school's Creole Festival committee tirelessly planned many performance opportunities for this special day to educate more at the school about national dances, folk songs and to taste Creole cuisine with its unique spices cooked in many different ways.

The day consisted of Creole performances, assemblies and workshops led by the fabulous ISS teachers and pupils. Music and dancing play such a large role in Seychellois culture that no celebration is complete without them. The International School pulled out all the stops for their performances to ensure that all taking part were given the opportunity to shine and showcase their skills. This was demonstrated through music performed by a traditional musical band, along with a group of local performers. A contredanse (traditional dance) workshop for both students and staff took place, which was an incredibly fun way for members of the school to come together and embrace this fun and energetic style of dance.

An exhibition of Creole items was displayed in school. Pupils enjoyed visiting the exhibition and learning about the traditional items.

To further add to the celebrations, the staff created delicious Creole dishes, with a food and bake sale, with influences from the different cultures in Seychelles with a selection of seafood plucked out of the Indian Ocean and a variety of tropical fruits and vegetables, which made these dishes a culinary delight.  

Amongst the celebrations was a Creole Parade (Laserenad) of bright, colourful, flowery Creole costumes, with Creole decorations set up by the Art teachers around the school picnic area, authentically created to ignite the Creole spirits and highlight the rich cultural heritage of Seychelles. Famous performers came to the school to entertain the pupils and staff of ISS, who were treated to songs from Julia, Joseph Sinon and JDA.

ElodieVallantine, principal of International School Seychelles, was incredibly proud of all the students and staff who took part in making this an incredibly memorable day. “Creole Day is a very important day for us as an International School. It is very important that we celebrate all cultures that our students and staff are coming from. The Creole culture is very important for us being a school in Seychelles and having eighty percent of our students being Seychellois. There has been a real buzz over the last few days preparing for the events today, with staff and students preparing, rehearsing, and having fun. Today’s events have been a real success with a variety of outfits, workshops, and performances linked to Creole culture, and students and staff have had such a fantastic time. It’s been a real pleasure to see!”

The International School Seychelles has celebrated the significance of what this day means to many people, whether they are new to the islands, or have been celebrating this Festival for as long as they can remember. The students and staff actively engaged to create a colourful and vibrant day for all to enjoy, with the focus being to celebrate and support Creole culture, and was a day all involved can be proud of for a long time.

Contributed