Virtual talk on the 1811 to 1976 period |22 June 2021
Mr Mathiot conducting his talk virtually (Photo: Joena Meme)
To celebrate the 45th anniversary of Seychelles’ Independence Day (1976-2021), historian Tony Mathiot conducted a virtual talk spanning the period 1811 to 1976 at the National Museum.
Why this conference? Mr Mathiot explained that this conference is to talk about this important period of our history, which many are not familiar with.
“We are celebrating the 45th anniversary of our Independence and people need to know what happened before. Many political events occurred during that time. 1811 is the year when the British took over the administration of Seychelles and the history of a country is not only meant for students at school or researchers but for all of us. As a citizen, I realize that many Seychellois do not know the history of Seychelles pre-1976. They may be more aware of the events after 1976.”
Mr Mathiot is himself a reference in the Indian Ocean if you want to know about the history of Seychelles. He is passionate about nature and research. But is there anybody else interested in becoming a historian like him?
“I will tell you frankly, there is no one showing an interest in becoming one. We have some people coming forward to look for some specific information for a project but that’s it. This generation does not understand that the history of a country is not on the internet! You have to spend time reading and unfortunately books scare many.”
To be a historian, one should read a lot. On the other hand, Mr Mathiot noted that there are non-Seychellois who are well-versed in the history of Seychelles. He does receive requests from many foreign and local researchers asking for specific details. “I have been investing my energy in research for the last 20 years and I will keep doing it for years to come. I used to go to Mauritius to study the history of this country as it is close to Seychelles. In Seychelles, we hope our archives will be back to normal as all documents/books/references have been securely kept.”
For the 45th anniversary of our independence Mr Mathiot wishes that all Seychellois learn this part of our history.
Bella Rose, the museum curator, explained that the history talk aims to engage the public in general, especially the youth, in learning experiences to enhance their curiosity and interest in the museum collections and the chance to clarify and challenge their ideas to date about the subject.
“The talk is a platform to enlighten various issues about the political awakening of the Seychellois people and the political division that the issue of Independence created in a population of some 60,000 inhabitants at that time. It is an opportunity for students and the public in general to learn more about the chronology of events that led to the greatest milestone in the history of our country. With the situation of Covid-19 we have not been able to invite the public in general especially students so we have conducted a virtual talk which will be played during their visit to the museum.”
Ms Rose also explained that museum educational programmes have been organised in Seychelles for over 30 years and over the years there have been tremendous work done by the National Museum to educate the youth and local communities of Seychelles about the basic principles in conserving and preserving our historical and heritage for the future generations.
At the museum, locals and foreigners are able to buy some souvenir items related to the Independence day.
Vidya Gappy
