Seychelles, being one of the founding members of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP), has been active in the promotion of different activities for the purpose of being able to enhance the tourism in the country. As a means of increasing the rate of...
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Seychelles Rock Formations
Rock Formations
Ros Sodyer (Cauldron Rock)
This rock formation is about 27 feet deep and 54 feet wide. Ros Sodyer is now a national monument. It is located in Takamaka, on the southern part of Mahe. It has a large pool at the edge of the granite slope which links the craggy coastline of Takamaka to the Intendance beach. The pool is 6 to 8 metres deep and about 5 to 6 meters wide. Its water is crystal clear and there are some fish and crabs in it. The pool fills up when the tide rises. During low tide, you can swim in it or even jump into it from the rocks above. When the tide spills over the cliff, it is not safe to swim as the waves can pull you back into the sea over the cliffs.. You can reach the pool via a 30 minutes nature trail hike from Anse Takamaka Beach at the Chez Batista Villas Parking where you will also find giant tortoises kept in a confinement.
There are sign boards that will guide you through the property. There is a steel ladder to climb over and up granite rocks. This is not safe for everyone.
Miray Demon (Devil’s Wall)
The Devil’s Wall has left researchers puzzled over its amazing formation. Miray Demon consists of several separate pieces of rock of different sizes and shapes arranged to rest on top of one another to make a crude wall., which have more or less remained in place like interlocking pieces of a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. It was declared a national monument in 2006.
Ros Leskalye (Rock Steps)
This granite formation is located on Mahe, close to Port Launay. At first look this formation looks man made. Because of it some people argue that the old Phoenicians more than 3000 years ago carved it in stone as a landmark or for religious reasons. But in reality, this rock formation is the result of volcanic activity and it appears as steps in a dyke. On the surface of the granite rocks there are compressed minerals in different colours embedded in the granite. These minerals evolved after heated molten rocks rose from the interior of the earth to the surface and then cooled down. These soft minerals, which look like randomly formed stairs, are embedded in the granite and have been washed out by erosion.
Ros Koson (Pig Rock)
The geological formation is called Ros Koson because it resembles a crouching pig in profile. One can distinctively make out the sunken eyes, the cartilaginous snout over the mouth baring the teeth. Of course with so much granite around, it is neither uncommon nor unusual to come across boulders or shapes of some recognisable representation. Ros Koson was declared a national monument in 2006.
Anse L’union Granite Boulder
Anse L’Union Boulder, a massive stone monument of granite covering over one acre of land, on the west coast of La Digue, the third-most populated island. This rock is made out of crystals of quartz, feldspar and mica, and it is believed that the boulder was laid beneath the earth before it was pushed upright a million years ago. The giant monument stands at the site of a Natural Park inhabited by tortoises.
Ros Torti (Tortoise Rock)
You come across this stupefying rock formation when you go up the main road outside the international airport. The rock is enclosed by a roundabout coupled with water features. You will also come across this landmark if you are travelling by road to Pointe Larue, a southeastern district in Seychelles.
Anse La Reunion Granite Rocks
L’Union Estate
Anse La Reunion Granite Rocks is a natural wonder and is considered a national monument. The rocks cover an acre of land, forming part of the L’Union Estate. L’Union Estate houses was a traditional copra mill with a kiln. Oldest specimens of tortoises are found in this estate. This property also houses the oldest Cemetery of the former settlers on La Digue and also one of the most untouched beaches of the Seychelles and one of the most photographed beaches in the world.
A large part of the L’Union Estate Park is a vanilla plantation and in the rear area there is a farm where chili, aubergines, passion fruit and much more are grown. There is also a “Boat Yard” on the premises, here you can see how boats and ships are manufactured and repaired.
The Plantation House has now been transformed into a small museum with a small art gallery.
Granite Rocks
This extremely impressive monolith is located at Anse L’Union on the west coast of La Digue. The granite boulder was formed around 750 million years ago, by the slow cooling of molten rocks (magma) deep within the earth’s crust which gave it its especially large crystals. The magnificent shape of this formation is due to its long exposure to the natural elements of weather.
Just below the granite monolith is the tortoise pen. Here, you can see some of the largest tortoises on earth. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise is one of the longest living animals on earth. They can live up to 200 years and weigh over 300 kilograms.
Souvenir Kiosks
There are a couple of small souvenir kiosks in L’Union Estate. These sellers have everything from local spices and rums to coco de mer nuts you can take home.
Old Pier Cafe
Old Pier Cafe is set on the waterfront just near the Old Pier, another great photo spot in L’Union Estate. Old Pier Cafe offers Italian, American, Cajun & Creole, European, and Asian cuisine. The Café serves grilled ribs, grilled tilapia, burgers, fish and chips and many more and the customers can choose the additions and sauces they want. The cafe also offers its customers a lot of vegetarian options on the menu, as well as some healthy options for its dieting customers.
Veuve reserve, Anse Reunion
Nature lovers will have the opportunity to seek out the rare black paradise flycatcher, once thought to be extinct but now protected in the La Digue Veuve Special Reserve which is also home to two rare species of terrapin.
The Veuve Information Centre manages the Veuve Reserve and the environment of La Digue and has available most information on the unique flora and fauna of La Digue, especially of the Paradise Flycatcher or “Veuve”.
La Digue
La Digue island is forty kilometres (25 miles) from Mahé and 7 km (3.5 miles) from Praslin. It is the fourth largest island in the Seychelles after Silhouette. This granite island receives its visitors mainly by boat at the quaint jetty at La Passe and is a popular destination for holidaymakers wishing for a taste of the traditional. Bicycling is the most common mode of transport on the island.
The Beach
The beach is very popular, with its dazzling white sands and shaded by craning coconut palms. The beach can get crowded partially because the beach area shrinks at hide tide. Coming in the early morning and returning in the late afternoon is a great way to avoid many of the island’s day visitors. During the day a couple of shacks sell fruit and refreshments, and there are glass bottom transparent kayaks for rent.
The beach is protected by a spectacular coral reef and is lapped by calm and shallow waters that allow you to bathe in total safety. If you want to swim or snorkel, you have to wait for high tide.
Eustache Sardes House at La Digue
This is a National Monument. This is predominantly a timber constructed house and one of the real remaining examples of its kind in Seychelles.
The house once stood on large masonry pillars, but now rests on a habitable concrete basement. It has a façade verandah, with ornamental wooden balusters mansards on its roof providing adequate and habitable attic space. The design allows natural ventilation.
Where To Stay On La Digue
Hotel Chateau St Cloud is a mid-range 3 star hotel in an excellent location close enough to both the incredible southwest beaches and the port.
Le Nautique is a high-end hotel rated as one of the best waterfront accommodations on La Digue. It offers traditional Creole architecture with modern comforts including king-sized beds and rain-showers. There is an amazing outdoor restaurant and beautiful garden.
Dream Holiday is a self catering budget hotel located on the northern end of the island very close to the ferry terminal. This location is close to the bike rental shops, snack stores and even supermarkets. This hotel offers queen rooms with air-conditioning, TV, private bathrooms, and even a balcony.
Seychelles National Archives
Seychelles National Archives
Seychelles National Archives is the official guardian of historical and government documents. The Archives collects, stores and conserves the history of Seychelles. The Archives contains the originals of the treaty of capitulation, government files, maps, paintings, photos, film, audio, stamps and money etc. It also contains history and documents during Seychelles colonization leading up to independence.
The mission of the Seychelles National Archives is to collect, preserve and make accessible archival documents of enduring value through the use of the latest information technology.
Of particular interest to the tourists is a vast collection of photographs of times gone by.
National Archives has an overseas office in France at 29 chemin du moulin de Testas – CS50062, 13182 Aix-en-Provence, CEDEX 5 France.
History of Seychelles National Archives
The earliest mention of the Seychelles National Archives is found in the instrument of capitulation of Seychelles that was executed by the French Commandant, Chevalier Quéau de Quincy, and the British Captain Henry Newcome of H.M.S. Orpheus on 17 May 1794. Although there was provision in the law for the preservation and maintenance of the national records, nothing was done for another 10 years. Then Mr. Lablache, an individual who understood the need to protect and classify the country’s archives requested that he be appointed as the executor of the archives. This request was refused.
During the British colonial rule some efforts were made to inventorize the documents. But it was found that all records during the French administration were transferred to France. There is reference to a fire and the great landslide of 1862 destroying a lot of archives. However, the destruction of archives could also have been due to the negligence of administrators. Seychelles National Archives Ordinance 27 of the 7th November 1964, was not implemented for another three years. In September 1961, the first Seychelles archivist, Captain William Tindall Wilfred Webb, was appointed as Seychelles’ first archivist. A temporary depot was allocated to house the documents. Captain Webb was a retired officer of the Army of India and the Political Services of Bombay. He held that post for seven years until his death in July 1968 at the age of 78 years old. During his tenure he selected, identified and inventorised the documents for the archives. The detailed inventory was published by l’OSTOM (Office pour la Recherche Sientifique et Technique Outre-Mer) in 1982, with some addition by his successor, Mr. Henri Mac Gaw. The latter joined the National Archives as Assistant Archivist in 1964 and assumed the direction of the National Archives from 1968 to 1987 when he was succeeded by Mr. Alain Lucas. In 2002, Mr. Peter Lalande took over until January 2008 and Mr. Alain Lucas once again took up the post of director.
Until 1982, the archives were housed in two rooms on the ground floor of the Carnegie Library (now the Natural History Museum building) in Victoria. After that, it was transferred to the La Bastille at Union Vale. This building was a private home that was acquired by the Government. This building, now a national monument, first housed the Ministry of Plans and Public Works followed by the Ministry of Education. After that National Archives occupied the prefabricated annex that permitted the storage of about 30 linear meters of records.
The National Archives and the National Library have created a mini committee to monitor the level of humidity and temperature to ensure a proper environment for documents and books.
In 1991, a new Library building was constructed and the archives moved in one wing of the National Library, now called the National Cultural Centre. After the outbreak of fungus in 2012 the archive’s location was moved to the Helena Complex in Port Island. The place is now equipped with wall and ceiling ultraviolet sterilisers, dehumidifiers and an ozone generator, and a treatment system that uses ozone and UV (ultra violet) light to purify the air and in turn eliminate the fungus. All legal documents are now housed in the Seychelles Magistrates’ Court in Victoria and data entry is in the Providence Atoll.
Functions of Seychelles National Archives
Records Management
Records Management unit is responsible for the proper classification, storage and overall management of semi-current or semi-active records. Concerned ministry will decide which records are to be archived and will pass them on to the archives. Usually Bank notes, stamps, departmental and ministerial reports, political, sports, cultural, religious magazines, all local newspapers like Nation, Isola Bella, Rising Sun etc. are archived.
The Outreach Programme
The Outreach Programme Unit disseminates information about the history of Seychelles in schools, organised exhibitions at national and district level.
The Research and Reference Unit
The Research and Reference Unit is responsible for dissemination of archival information to the general public and making available documents in digital and textual formats for immediate consultation or for approved replication upon request.
The Digital Conservation Unit
The Digital Conservation Unit is responsible for electronic archival of documents and maintaining the database, network and website.
The Audio-visual Unit
The Audio-visual Unit is responsible for creating audio-visual presentations.
The Binding and De-acidification Unit
The Binding and De-acidification Unit provides the technical know-how for the preservation of archived material for a long time.
Family history research
Family history research is possible for self search for a fee of SR 350 and SR 500 if you require the archive staff to do the search. The search facility is available from Monday to Friday from 8:00am-4:00pm and on Saturdays from 9:00am to12:00pm.
Mission Lodge
View from mission lodge
Mission Lodge Lookout is a popular hotel with 5 star rating, located at Sans Soucis road, Victoria, Mahe Island, Seychelles in the city of Victoria. Mission Lodge is an easily accessible place with an outstanding view over the beauty of Mahé’s west coast. You can reach Mission Lodge by road close to the highest point. Mission Lodge is a superb lookout with spectacular views of central Mahé and the west coast, and some low-slung stone ruins slowly returning to the forest. The Mission Lodge is surrounded by interesting rain forest. It is located just below the summit of Sans Soucis.
UNESCO world heritage site
Mission Lodge is a UNESCO world heritage site since 2013. Queen Elizabeth II inaugurated this lodge in 1972 and had tea at the viewing platform. It is only a 6-kilometer drive from the city center of Victoria, Seychelles’ capital. It is an historic site located within Morne Seychellois National Park.
Mission Lodge History
After being abandoned by the previous Russian operator, the Lodge was taken over by the Department of Tourism, through the Seychelles Heritage Foundation. Port Glaud waterfall was also abandoned by the same Russian investor but this site is not easily accessible.
There have been many instances where visitors were robbed and even mugged and cars broken into, resulting in negative publicity for the entire destination. Visitors and travel operators complain of lack of security in the hotel.
Mission Lodge ruins
You can see some of the ruins between the small parking area and the path to the amazing viewpoint. The mission ruins are the ruins of the Industrial school established in 1875 by the Church Missionary Society for the children of liberated slaves. It was called Venn’s town after Henry Venn (1796-1873). He was an Anglican evangelist who worked for the Church Missionary Society which was founded in 1799 and which established orphan asylums at Pamplemousses in Mauritius and at Freetown in Sierra Leone.
African Slave Trade
During the eighteenth century thousands of African slaves crossed the Atlantic ocean in chains to become the foundation of the New World economy. Hundreds of them ended up in Seychelles to work as labourers on cotton and coffee plantations. In 1814 Britain took possession of the Seychelles. In 1807 British parliament adopted the Bill of abolition of slave trade, which was applicable to the whole of the British empire. But the lucrative slave trade continued in Seychelles until the Emancipation act of 1833.
However, along the East African coast, the slave trade continued unabated. Slaves were brought from the interiors of Africa – most of them were obtained for a few yards of calico cloth! The slaves were taken to the Western side of Lake Nyasa in Malawi and then shipped to Kilwa on the coast of Tanzania where they were taken to the slave market in Zanzibar and sold for around £100 to £120 each to Arab and Persian dealers. Determined to put an end to this illicit and despicable slave trade, British Navy Ships scoured the waters of the Indian Ocean and intercepted Arab dhows and confiscated their cargoes of slaves and brought them to Mahé in Seychelles. On the 14th May of 1861 the first shipment of 252 liberated slaves arrived in Seychelles on HMS Lyra commanded by Capt. Old-field. Continuation of this activity resulted in the arrival of a total of 2,816 liberated African slaves between 1861 and 1874 to the shores of Mahé.
Slaves in Seychelles
Now Seychelles had to do something to settle these slaves down in Seychelles. Church Missionary Society undertook the task of settling these slaves. In May 1875 the civil commissioner of Seychelles Charles Spencer Salmon (1832-1896) agreed to lease 50 acres of land at Capucin Sans Soucis to the Church Missionary Society. But this needed the approval of the governor of Mauritius, Arthur Purves Phayre (1812-1885) who travelled to Seychelles to draw up the conditions under which he would authorize the assignment of the land. His conditions inter alia stipulated that an annual rent would have to be paid for over a period of ten years and that no child over 16 years of age should be retained against his/her will.
The Industrial Institution at Venn’s Town
The Industrial Institution at Venn’s Town was officially opened on 20th March of 1876 and was under the supervision of Rev. William Barlett Chancellor, the Swahili-speaking acting civil chaplain. By the end of 1877 there were 55 children, 35 boys and 20 girls living in the settlement. The school teachers were Mr Robert Pickwood who was a former police officer in Victoria and Mr Henry Morris Warry (1858-1927). The main buildings consisted of a large and spacious Mission cottage which was a bungalow with a verandah, two dormitories of 100ft by 25ft, one for the boys and one for the girls, a few outhouses, kitchens, washrooms and a dozen huts for the labourers who were engaged to clear the land. The buildings were constructed of timber and covered with screw pine leaves. Water was obtained from the nearby river by means of bamboo pipes and stored in basins of limestone coral.
In 1885 Warry and his wife left and were succeeded by Mr Edwin Lucock and his wife Martha who took charge of the Institution until 1889. Some boys and girls ran away because of harsh punishment given occasionally. The children woke up early for prayers and breakfast after which they attended lessons which consisted mainly of bible stories and psalm-singing. In the afternoon, they engaged in woodwork and tended the coffee, cocoa and vanilla plantations, the revenue from which went to the upkeep of the mission settlement.
A cemetery further away accommodated the little bodies of those who tragically succumbed to the then incurable infirmities of health such as diphtheria or appendicitis. Edwin and Martha Lucock’s two years old son Sidney died in April 1888 and was buried there.
During its seventeen years of its existence many visitors to Seychelles trudged up the mountain path to the Industrial school at Venn’s Town to discover how the African children were getting along. One of such visitors was the Victorian Lady, painter and globetrotter Marianne North (1830 – 1890). She made many paintings of Venn’s Town, forty-three of her paintings are now in the Natural History Museum in Victoria.
The mission at Venn’s Town closed in 1894, because by then, more schools were being built on Mahé which accommodated the African children, and the slave dealers had ceased their ignoble transactions. Seventy-seven years later, on March 20th 1972 when Queen Elizabeth II came to Seychelles for the inauguration of our International airport, she was driven up here to visit these melancholy ruins and to open the Mission Viewing Lodge which treats the visitors to a breathtaking Panorama of the east coast below.
Liberty Monument Seychelles
The Liberty Monument
The Liberty Monument is an historic monument in Victoria, Seychelles, erected in commemoration of the Seychelles’ independence from Britain. The monument was designed and sculpted by Tom Bowers, British-Seychellois artist, and was cast in bronze at the Bronze Age Foundry in Cape Town, South Africa. It depicts a man and a woman holding over their heads the national flag. The sturdy, masculine figure with raised arms and clenched fists, freed from chains, symbolizes triumphant defiance and victory for a truly independent nation.
On the occasion of Seychelles’ 38th anniversary of Independence, on 29 June 2014, President James Michel attended a flag-raising ceremony at the Lavwa Lanasyon monument in Victoria in the morning, together with the Vice-President, Danny Faure, religious leaders and dignitaries. They then walked further down 5th June Avenue, to watch the unveiling of the new national Liberty monument. President Michel unveiled the plaque for the monument, while two youths unveiled the statue from underneath its golden cloth at the same time.
The new monument replaced the Liberation monument which was removed from the 5th June Avenue in April 2014 in the midst of mixed public reaction after Michel announced the gesture as a step towards national unity.
The grand edifice is located in Mont Fleuri on the Mahe island. The statue represents unity, patriotism and hope to be a tribute to those who dedicated their lives to freedom and also to the youth. Liberty Monument is to be listed as a national monument.
The Zonm Lib
The Zonm Lib (Free man) is a powerful symbol of La Liberté for all Seychelles residents who rebelled against colonial oppression and injustice on 5 June 1977. The metal statue used to stand behind the People’s Stadium on 5th of June Avenue and is now in front of the Communication Center (ICCS), near the United Seychelles party building. The Zonm Lib was removed from its original location following a decision by the ruling Parti Lepep. Opposition party members felt that the statue was more of a party emblem than a national monument. This could be one of the reasons for its removal to the party headquarters.
The Liberation Monument was inaugurated in 1978 by the President of the Second Republic, on the occasion of the 1st anniversary of the Coup d’etat which finally put an end to colonialism, oppression and injustice. The President dedicated the monument to the martyrs of the Revolution. In March 1989 marble steps were added to the granite base on which it stands, flanked by the national flag. The Zonm Lib statue depicting a man breaking free of chains, was installed in 1978 to mark the country’s struggle for independence on ‘Liberation Day’ of June 5 1977 which saw the removal from power of the archipelago’s first president, James Mancham, in coup that installed his prime minister, France Albert Rene as head of state. Rene introduced a socialist one-party state, and then a multi-party system in 1992, following which he stood for three elections, winning each presidential poll with a large majority until he stepped down in 2004.
The ‘Zonm Lib’ symbolizes the glory of Seychelles’ Independent nationhood.
Unity Monument
Unity Monument was unveiled in 1987. Unity Monument depicts 4 large white fish. Each fish represents one of the four pillars of the economy in Seychelles: Tourism, Agriculture, Fisheries and Small Businesses. It is located at the roundabout near the National Library in Victoria, at the junction of 5th June Avenue and Liberation Avenue. The monument was intended as a fountain as well.
The Liberation Day
Three people died during the coup of June 5, 1977; Francis Rachel, and Berard Janie and Son Chang-Him. Rachel was part of the coup operation, while the latter two were not and for this reason opposition activists argue it is a symbol of division, rather than unity, in the history of the country, as those who opposed the coup lament their deaths.
Since 1978, every June 5th has been a national holiday, when wreaths and flowers are laid down by dignitaries and the population at ‘Zonm Lib'(Liberation Monument). In the aftermath of multi-party democracy, this monument symbolises the spirit of revolutionary fervour and the will of the people of Seychelles to keep the flag of peace, harmony and freedom flying in the future.
The 1977 Seychelles coup d’état was a virtually bloodless coup that occurred 4–5 June 1977. Some supporters of the Seychelles People’s United Party, who had been training in Tanzania, overthrew President Sir James Mancham of the Seychelles Democratic Party whilst he was attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London, the United Kingdom. Since then 5th June has been celebrated as liberation day.
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