New book commemorates 250 years of Victoria town |30 June 2021

Guests with copies of the book (Photo: Joena Meme)

‘Victoria: A Historical Journey through Photographs’ is the title of a mainly pictorial history book produced by the National Heritage Research and Protection, in the department of Culture, to commemorate 250 years of the town of Victoria.

The 114-page publication pays tribute to the history and development of Victoria and its surrounding districts – namely, English River, Mont Buxton, St Louis, Bel Air and Mont Fleuri – from 1800s to 2020, illustrated with black and white and coloured photographs.

The book was officially launched on Tuesday morning in a ceremony held at the National History Museum, Victoria, by the city’s Mayor, David Andre, who is also responsible for the department of Culture.

Present were the chief executive of Seychelles Heritage Foundation, Benjamine Rose, the chief executive of the National Arts Council, Jimmy Savy and other staff from the department of Culture, among other invitees.

Most of the photographs in the book depict architectures and sites in strategic locations with different uses that tell unique stories of how Victoria came to be and projecting also where it might be going in the future.

The different features of the buildings and their environment add character to Victoria, fostering a sense of community. While the photos will bring back some nostalgic memories of Victoria to the older generation, the younger generation will have a glimpse of what life was before in Victoria with many of the landmarks from the original settlement still in existence.

In launching the book, Mayor Andre said that it beautifully illustrates and conjures a real feel of Victoria.

He thanked all those who helped in making the publication possible and especially the former culture director Raymonde Onezime and the late Marcel Rosalie who initiated the project some years back.

“I hope that this publication will be inspirational in providing a new and refreshing breath of life for new art forms and creative media that will promote and respect our heritage and also pave the way for future initiatives to penetrate the cultural and historical legacy of Victoria and of Seychelles in general,” Mayor Andre said.

Among the now and then photographs of the history of Victoria, are illustrations of the social life, transport, churches, schools, streets, historical monuments, State House, houses and buildings, the port and harbour and the famous Victoria market, among many others.

The publication is not only to raise the importance to preserve Victoria as our architectural heritage and historical sites, but also to create awareness of our cultural heritage and history among our population.

It will also serve as souvenir for tourists and the Seychellois diaspora from the region and afar.

The book, which will also serve as a research tool for students, teachers and historians, is at the moment on sale at the National Heritage Research and Protection (4321333) at R650 a copy. It will later be distributed to other sales outlets.

At the end of the ceremony, copies of the book were presented to six stakeholders, among whom figured Mayor Andre who received his copy. Apart from Gabriel Essack who contributed some of the iconic photographs, the project team for the realisation of the book was led by Berthilda Walter and Therese Barbe.

Patrick Joubert