Camion Hall celebrates 30 years existence |28 April 2021
Camion Hall, the small one-stop mall in the centre of Victoria for locally produced handicraft and other interesting creative souvenir items, celebrated its 30 years of existence yesterday.
According to organisers, the building which also houses the Enterprise Seychelles Agency (Esa) and some other vendors under its verandah, was named ‘Camion Hall’ after being inaugurated on April 17, 1991 by the late Minister for Planning and External Relations, Danielle de St Jorre, in the presence of the vice-president of the European Union Commission at that time, Manuel Marin.
Camion Hall was a gift to the Seychelles to house the Seychelles National Craft Industry. It was managed under the auspices of the new Seychellois parastatal called Corporation Development de L’Artisanat (Codevar).
The Seychelles Industrial Development Corporation (Sidec) was the first government parastatal to occupy Camion Hall in 1992 with Maxwell Julie as the managing director. The aim of Sidec was to make funds available to people who would like to start a small business and be self-employed, particularly in the area of craft. From Sidec, the name of the parastatal was turned into the Small Enterprise Promotion Agency (Senpa) and subsequently to Esa today.
From information gathered at the ceremony, the property was used as a girl’s schools for the Anglican Church in the 1900s, a school meal centre in the 1940s and sewing training centre after. From 1991 as Camion Hall, it started off as a training centre for basic skill learning before launching into a business. It also had only one shop, the famous ‘Artisans des Iles’, before becoming into the present attractive and small shopping mall seen today.
To mark the 30th anniversary occasion, a small ceremony was held at the building at which a commemorative glass painting of Camion Hall by artist John Bouzin was unveiled by the Minister for Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry, Devika Vidot and the chief executive of Esa, Angelic Appoo.
Present were past chief executives and former chairpersons of Codevar, Sidec and Senpa, including Esa staff among other guests.
The unveiling of the glass painting was followed by an exhibition showcasing the Camion’s Hall journey from 1991 to present. Guests could appreciate the building’s transformation under the different institutions and be reminded of the different people who were at the forefront and who have contributed largely to its evolution. The exhibition also had on display some of the very best locally made products by Seychellois artisans.
Outside the building an assortment of flower plants was on sale.
In her official opening address, Minister Vidot said the building has stood the test of time and through periods of change it has withheld its position as a pivotal landmark in Victoria for attracting business owners, tenants and visitors alike.
“Indeed it is a land mark for Victoria. It is an iconic building not just for our locals but also the thousands of tourists who have historically flooded our town centre over the past years,” Minister Vidot said.
Minister Vidot added that with the aim of encouraging business development, a key attraction to hosting one’s business at the premises has been the rental fee which is heavily subsidised by government to date.
She noted that Camion Hall will continue to be instrumental in providing space for our artisans’ products to obtain the visibility they need while the ministry will be looking to outsource Artisans des Iles shop, which has been suffering tremendously from operational inefficiency and lack of resources, to the private sector.
“Looking ahead, we will continue to identify ways in which Camion Hall can further facilitate business ventures,” Minister Vidot said, noting that Camion Hall still represents huge potential for our current and upcoming businesses for the creation, development and sale of our local products.
She thanked everyone for taking part in the momentous occasion.
In her remarks Ms Appoo, who gave an insight into the history of Camion Hall, said that Esa will be putting more emphasis on capacity building and skills development of artisans, preferably held at Camion Hall and through some live sessions, for better creativity, development and for the production of locally made products.
She noted that as small businesses are facing a lot of problems especially in this time of the pandemic, Esa will be forming a committee, the ‘Reviving Handy Craft’, where all concerned, including other affiliated ministries and agencies, will be invited to discuss the way forward.
“Artisans are the backbone of our culture and heritage, and we must work with them, not against them. My aim for this property is to further its potential, however ensuring that we can bring back its original concept as well,” Ms Appoo said.
In a testimony, Mr Julie, who left in 2003 as CEO of Sidec, said that his time at Sidec was among the most exciting and interesting moments in his professional career, mostly in regards to working with the many small businessmen and businesswomen who wanted to make a difference in their lives and country.
He also stressed on the need for more creativity and locally brand made products.
According to historian Tony Mathiot, the building which was built out of limestone in 1920 as a government school and further as a school meal centre in 1940, was named Camion Hall in 1969 by the late British artist Ron Gerlach.
He said that this was in reference to the camion bay for passengers, situated adjacent to it.
Mr Gerlach was a batik instructor at that time in the building which was being used as a training centre, mostly for sewing and later as the St Paul’s primary school of the Anglican Church.
The accompanying photographs show some highlights of the ceremony yesterday.
Patrick Joubert
Photos by Louis Toussaint
