Culture, they say, is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. The Seychellois culture is no different, except that it was born from the fusion of five major cultural influences namely the French, African, Indian, Malagasy and Chinese. It is a direct result of the islands colourful history of exploration, slavery and plantation life. Explorers, settlers and slaves alike brought with them their own traditions, customs, beliefs and little secrets that have been handed down to generations and undergone an assimilation process that has resulted in a fusion which has given birth to this fascinating and vibrant Seychellois culture as we know it today.
Each of these explorers, settlers and slaves contributed something unique to the religion we follow, the food that we eat, what we wear and how we wear it, our Kreol language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how we greet our friends and visitors, how we behave with loved ones, and a million other things. All these contributions have been assimilated and adapted to the island environment and have resulted in a harmonious way of life of all Seychellois.
This blog intends to create discussions around those individual aspects of our culture. We invite your active participation and contribution that will ultimately make this site a source of comprehensive reference for all those who wish to learn more about this Creole Melting Pot.
This page is broken down in four sections. Please click on the links to learn more:
- The first section covers our traditional music, dances and songs that we enjoyed and still enjoy so much. This will include posts on the sega, the moutya and other dances, including their origin and how they have influenced our lives. We will also include posts on the kanmtole, kontredans and many more…
- The second section covers the Romans, which are mainly sad and romantic songs that we inherited from the French speaking settlers, traders and mariners.
- The third section covers traditional children songs that were introduced to the Seychelles by the French speaking settlers, sailors and traders as well as the Catholic missionaries and the English songs by the British Administrators when the Seychelles was a British colony.
- The last section covers the traditional games that we, as young kids, used to play. Traditional games are part of intangible heritage and a symbol of the cultural diversity of our societies. Well, like it is often said, times have changed and those games we played are part of the happy memories we have of our childhood. They promoted friendship and harmony, an intimacy of comradeship that has lasted to adulthood.
