Culinary competition to commemorate SIDS Day |21 October 2023

To celebrate the Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) Day, 27 schools from various SIDS regions came together for an engaging culinary competition.

This remarkable event, held at Camion Hall and organised by the Ministry of Environment, highlighted the unique cultural and culinary diversity of these islands.

The participating schools represented the different SIDS, including Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Comoros, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Bahamas, Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Timor-Leste, Dominican Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Suriname, Cape Verde, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Fiji, Cook Islands, Jamaica, Mauritius, Niue, Kiribati, São Tomé and Príncipe, Samoa, and Guyana.

Jeanette Larue, director general of the Public Education and Community Outreach Division within the Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change, and Environment (MACCE), explained that traditionally, SIDS Day is celebrated by individual islands.

However, this year, the theme revolved around food, leading to the integration of the culinary competition with the National Food Week festivities.

“It is noteworthy that while SIDS Day is not yet recognised as an international day, other SIDS are gradually embracing this commemorative tradition. Unesco even reached out to study Seychelles' programme, which has been celebrating this occasion since 2014,” she said.

Ms Larue pointed out that many Seychellois are not well-acquainted with the other SIDS, and this event aimed to shed light on 27 of these states.

The students participating in the competition were tasked with researching their respective islands and creating dishes featuring three key ingredients namely breadfruit, fish, or coconut. Some of the students went above and beyond by donning traditional outfits of their chosen countries and, with the guidance of their teachers, made the delicious and visually dishes.

In essence, the dishes had to be well prepared, imbued with the flavours of their island through the use of local spices, seasonings, or condiments, and they had to abide to the overarching theme. Creativity was encouraged, and the presentation of each dish had to exude style. Moreover, students had the opportunity to explain their research and confidently share insights about the country and its culinary offerings while showcasing their dishes.

The event created a captivating ambiance at Camion Hall, leading up to the grand awards ceremony scheduled for November 3.

Islands, with their unique geographical locations and rich natural and cultural heritage, remain top destinations for millions of tourists annually. However, they have to deal with various challenges and vulnerabilities. SIDS, in particular, exhibit substantial variations in their economic and social standings, as well as their levels of international visitor arrivals. Many of them are highly reliant on tourism, both in terms of exports and contributions to their GDP.

These islands share three distinguishing characteristics: they are small in size, which exerts pressure on resources and limits economic diversification; they are often remote and isolated, leading to challenges in trading while also boasting unique biodiversity and cultural richness; and their maritime environments offer significant tourism assets but expose them to climate change vulnerabilities.

The accompanying photos show some highlights of the event.

Vidya Gappy

Photos: Joena Meme