Global Voices Online » Seychelles

Seychelles: Turning bling eye to pirates

Ndesanjo Macha — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:47:54 +0000

Cuhnelbad comments on the claims that Seychelles is turning a blind eye to pirates: “This was troubling news indeed, to hear that the Government of my beloved country would be courting the very criminals who, since 2008, are posing a serious threat to our sovereignty, security and the two principal pillars of our economy- Fishing and Tourism!”

Global: International Creole Month

Fabienne Flessel — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:18:07 +0000

October has become the month of the worldwide celebration of Creole language and the Creole blogosphere is paying attention.

What is Creole, exactly? This is probably one of the most debated topics among linguists worldwide - it is an incredibly complex and diverse language. The fruit of migrations and population mingling, Creole language has been, since the distant times of slavery, a vernacular language, either prohibited or underrated. But things started to change in the 1980s, as explained by the Creole-oriented Reunionese blog, Renyone [Cr, Eng]:

In 1981 scientists having Creole as their mother tongue started asking themselves questions about the methods that could be used to promote the Creole language, following a scientific symposium organised by the international committee for Creole studies working on the theme: a Creole / Creoles, continuity and creativity in the Creole world.

Renyone gives more details about the establishment of what has become a tradition in most Creolophone countries [Eng]:

In 1982 the Seychelles government organised a Creole week.
[…]
The first international BANNZIL KREYOL day took place on the 28th October 1983. Ever since, the 28th October has been celebrated annually in all Creole countries the world over.

Since then, the preservation of this vernacular language, sometimes called a dialect, has been a great concern for many people as shown by this statement of objectives published by the International Organization of Creole People. A Facebook group named “Annou Palé Patwa” (Creole for “Let's speak Patois/Creole) relays this concern since in a topic entitled Creole Month, a Trinidadian user wonders about this year's celebration [En]:

Well October is Creole month the world over, what can we do to promote it in Trinidad?
[…]
What do you think will be the best way to go if we were to do something national?

Initiatives to promote, preserve or celebrate Creole are local field work as much as governemental policy. Here is a post published by Dominican blogger Living Dominica two years ago in which we can see that in some countries, this celebration is not just a token gesture [En]:

This month is Creole time here on Dominica, which is my very favorite celebration. This time of year is a festival honoring all things Dominican. Everyone gets into the spirit of things in the days leading up to Independence Day (Nov. 3) and the World Creole Music Festival (Oct. 26-28)

Mentioned above, the World Creole Music Festival was born 13 years ago from the Dominican government's will to associate the International Creole Month to its celebration of the Independence of the island on November 3rd 1978.

From all this, it is quite obvious that Creole Month and Creole Day, October 28th, are not uniformly celebrated worldwide. Here are some posts about 2009 Creole Day events:

From London, the group MBMB “Minm Biten, Minm Bagay” (Guadeloupean and Martinican Creole phrases which mean “it's all the same”) wrote a post in order to invite people to the event that took place on Sept. 27th 2009 and also to recall previous editions of their “MBMB Kreyol Day”.

In Canada, the Creole-oriented organization Kepkaa invites people for “Mwa kréyol la nan Monréyal” (Haitian Creole for “Creole Month in Montreal”) in a post entitled “Ann fété kilti kreyol nou yo” (Haitian Creole for “Let's celebrate Creole cultures together”). Another Canadian event was announced on Miss Creole Canada Pageant and relayed on Facebook, it was the first of its kind, crowning of a Miss from Creole heritage, which took place on October 17th, as part of the celebration of the Creole Month.

In Paris, blogger Anba pyé mango-la announces a cultural evening called “Tan Kréyol” (Creole for “Hear Creole”) where the oral transmission of Creole is given a place of honor [Fr Cr]:

Senn-la wouvè ba tout moun : poèt, chantè, slamè, makè, kontè, mizisyen… .

The mic is open to everyone: poets, singers, poetry slammers, writers, storytellers, musicians….

In Guadeloupe, the local authorities have organized a month-long program taking place in different locations, in order to celebrate “Mwa òktòb kréyol an mouvman” (Creole for “October, Creole in motion). Here are the two main points of this program posted by guadeloupe.coconews [Fr Cr]:

1. Prèmyé dékatman ba tout moun
2. Dézyèm dékatman èvè zanfan-lékòl

1. First session of activities opened to everyone
2. Second session of activities reserved to pupils and students

Finally, from Martinique, montraykreyol publishes a post which questions the Creole Month celebration there and most precisely the relevance of celebrating Creole in a week-long festival [Fr Cr]:

Es ou ka kwè ki an sel simenn pou défann kréyol adan tout lanné-a sifizan ?

CLAUDE MARLIN : Dapré mwen non, sa ja an pal pou kréyol-la menm manniè ki tout travay-la ki za fet asou lang-lan. Men fok pandan tout lanné-a, ni travay ki pou fet, fok véyatif toulong, pas menm si kréyol ka rantré latélévizion, laradio, nan piblisité kontel, bien délè sa ka an kréyol toubònman, tjòlòlò ek sa pé désèvi lang-la.

Do you believe that one week a year to defend Creole is enough?
CLAUDE MARLIN : I don't think so but it's already a great thing for Creole as everything else that has been done about the language. Yet, things must be done all year long and we have to be careful all the time, because even when Creole is spoken on TV, on the radio or in commercials for exemple, most of the time it is rough or broken, which can be harmful to the integrity of the language.

The thumbnail image used in this post, “Openness and Collaboration”, is by psd, used under a Creative Commons license. Visit psd's flickr photostream.
This post was also translated by the author.

Seychelles: New lease of life for Seychelles Media Association

Ndesanjo Macha — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:00:59 +0000

Seychelles Digital reports that the Seychelles Media Association (SMA) has been given a new lease of life.

Seychelles: Seychelles Joins Pan-African e-Network

Ndesanjo Macha — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:54:15 +0000

“Seychelles is the second African country, after Senegal to join the $1 billion pan-African e-network project initiated by the Indian government,” writes Gervais from Seychelles.

South Africa: Highway Africa Media Awards

Ndesanjo Macha — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:14:16 +0000

Simone writes about Highway Africa Media Awards: “Well, somewhere along the way it appears that the Highway Africa New Media Awards have been rebranded to the SABC-Highway Africa Digital Journalism Awards…”

Seychelles: A political party with a blog

Ndesanjo Macha — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:14:03 +0000

A political party with a blog in Seychelles: “The SNP is the main opposition party in the Seychelles.”

Seychelles: Wind of change in the police force

Ndesanjo Macha — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:58:56 +0000

CUHNELBALD writes about the wind of change and the Seychelles police: “Enhancing the efficiency, professionalism and performance of the Police will not be achieved on the sole declaration of good intentions from good –sounding speeches.”

Seychelles: Embassy Blog

Ndesanjo Macha — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:34:08 +0000

Official blog of the Seychelles embassy: “This is the official blog of the Seychelles Embassy accredited to the European Communities and institutions, and the Benelux countries with residence in Brussels.”

Madagascar hosts Indian Ocean Island Games

Lova Rakotomalala — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 16:12:53 +0000

The Indian Ocean Island Games are underway in Madagascar and people are quite thrilled about it.

Harinjaka gives us a preview of the anticipation back home:

“C’est parti pour le 7 ème Jeux des îles de l’Océan Indien (JIOI).
La flamme olympique arrive aujourd’hui au stade de Mahamasina (Tananarive) pour annoncer l’ouverture des 7èmes JIOI, qui se tiendront du 9 au 19 août à Tananarive.
Plus de 200 athlètes originaires de sept îles de l’océan Indien, à savoir les Comores, les Maldives, l’île Maurice, Mayotte, La Réunion, les Seychelles et Madagascar, participeront à 16 différents sports pour cette competition.[..]

j’ai pu ressentir l’excitation des malgaches dont l’émotion est vraiment palpable [..]
Sachez quand même que 86 pays vivront en direct la plupart des compétitions. ”

« the 7th Indian Ocean Island Games are underway (IOIG).
The Olympic flame arrives today at the Mahamasina stadium (Antananarivo) to signal the opening of the 7th IOIG, which will be held from the 9 to the 19th of August in Antananarivo.

More than 200 athletes from seven islands in the Indian Ocean: the Comoros, Maldives, Mauritius, Mayotte, Reunion, Seychelles and Madagascar, will take part in 16 various sports for this competition. [.]

One can sense the excitation of the Malagasy people whose enthusiasm for the event is undeniable[.]
Note that 86 countries will be able to follow live most of of the matches.”

Su adds in the comment section that the event is so important that the day of the opening ceremony has been declared a national holiday.

( Ravi, the official mascott of the Indian Ocean Island Games. Photo credit: http://www.jioi2007.mg/)

Indian Ocean: New Web 2.0 Cultural Site

Alice Backer — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 04:52:11 +0000

Collective Malagasy blog Malagasy Miray announces (Fr): “Culture-océanindien [ www.culture-oceanindien.info ] is a space for cultural and islandness expression based on the web 2.0 principle. It was born out of the will to promote and support culture in general and more specifically that of the Indian Ocean. Many aspects of Indian Ocean culture remain buried to this day.”

Madagascar: The First Indian Ocean Musical Network

Alice Backer — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 08:35:01 +0000

El Sono Mondial announces that (Fr): “A seminar about financial management of cultural enterprises specializing in music (organized by the International Organization of La Francophonie) took place last week [in Madagascar] … The participants discussed creating the first Indian Ocean musical and cultural network.“

Africa: renewable technologies

Ndesanjo Macha — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 07:47:39 +0000

Africa Unchained writes, “Karekezi, S…surveys (PDF) the dissemination of renewable technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa…and attempts to evaluate the potential for these technologies to meet the energy needs of Africa’s poor…“

Africa: Moving on from the digital indaba

Ndesanjo Macha — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 03:44:50 +0000

Meskel Square on “Moving on from the Digital Indaba“:
“Overall it was a huge success. One way of judging that is to look at all the discussions that are still carrying on in posts and comments and Technorati links. The discussions started with the race debate which I now wish I hadn't joined (there was just something about that pig/hairless-bulldog). But it has now moved on to thinking about what should come next.”

Africa: Is the Battle against AIDS Lost?

Alice Backer — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 11:32:38 +0000

Forum Realisance believes (Fr) former colonial powers and pharmaceutical companies are partially to blame for the AIDS crisis but saves harsher words for Africans and failed African leaders: ” Ignorance and illiteracy reproduce AIDS blindly without the least use for reason. Isn't it sacred and legitimate to protect oneself? Why not do it? By weakness in front of the beauty of orgasm? Weakness because of the taboo of sexuality? Curious logic.”

French-Speaking Bloggers on Rabat Conference on Migration

Alice Backer — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 14:07:44 +0000

What Will the Conference Bring?

Says France-based African blogger Le Pangolin,

Du 10 au 11 juillet 2006, s'est tenue à Rabat au Maroc, la première rencontre interministérielle euro-africaine sur les problèmes des migrations entre ces deux continents.Elle a regroupé 57 pays africains et européens et certaines organisations humanitaires qui se sont bruyamment invitées à la table de négociation.

From July 10 to 11, 2006, the first interministerial Euro-African meeting on the problems of migrations between the two continents was held in Rabat, Morocco. The Conference attracted 57 African and European countries and a couple of humanitarian organizations that insisted on inviting themselves to the negotiation table.

Though cautious in his wording, Senegalese blogger-mayor Robert Sagna, was willing to give the conference's resolution the benefit of the doubt:

L’Europe, l’Asie, l’Amérique, l’Australie et même l’Afrique connaissent le phénomène migratoire ; il faut savoir le gérer ; la répression n’est sûrement pas la meilleure manière, comme le souligne la Déclaration de Rabat, il faut engager un dialogue politique, mais les solutions durables à mon avis passe par la Croissance et le Développement d’une part, et une répartition équitable des résultats de cette croissance et de ce développement, d’autre part.

Europe, Asia, America, Australia and even Africa are all familiar with migrations; it is important to manage the phenomenon properly. Repression is probably not the best way, as the Rabat Declaration emphasizes, we need to start a political dialogue but durable solutions in my opinion should involve growth and development on the one hand and an equitable distribution of the results of that growth and development on the other.

France-based African blogger Le Pangolin agreed that policing was a short-sighted solution and had mostly harsh words for the conference, for Europe and for Morocco:

De ce qui est ressorti de cette conférence c’est une impression générale d’une rencontre pour rien, même si pour certains observateurs optimistes c’est signe que l’Europe reconnaît son échec et surtout le Maroc malgré ses exactions envers les négro-africains de l’année dernière passées sous silence internationale, ne peut continuer à jouer au gendarme de l’Europe, car le Maroc lui-même est un pays qui offre que l’émigration à sa jeunesse malgré son potentiel économique.

There is a general feeling that the meeting was useless even though some optimistic commentators took it as a sign that Europe is recognizing its failure. Also, Morocco despite its internationally silenced abuses vis-a-vis Negro-Africans last year, cannot continue to play the role of Europe's cop because Morocco itself is a country that offers only emigration to its youth.

Les politiciens européens en manque d’idées et d’audace préconisent le durcissement des lois envers les étrangers et l’exclusion d ‘une partie de leur population. C’est ce qui ressort du plan adopté à Rabat ce sont des mesures vagues du genre :
ØCoopération entre l’Europe et l’Afrique dans le contrôle des frontières
ØRéduction de la pauvreté
ØAccroissement de l’aide au développement
ØEt l’Europe sans scrupule souhaite contrôler les flux financiers émanant des ressortissants africains à destination de leurs pays.
A lire ces mesures on comprend vite que les ministres africains et européens n’ont rien compris à la chose.
Pour les ministres africains c’était l’occasion de remettre à plat les rapports économiques existants, mais hélas les ministres africains n’ont pas encore saisi tous les contours du problème.

Unimaginative European politicians advocate a hardening of the laws against foreigners and the exclusion of a part of the population. That is what transpires from the plan adopted in Rabat, vague measures such as:
*Cooperation between Europe and Africa on the control of borders
*Poverty reduction
*Increase in development aid
*And an unscrupulous Europe hopes to control the financial flows between Europe-based Africans and their homelands
Reading these measures, it is obvious that African and European ministers don't understand this crisis. For the African ministers this was an opportunity to rehash the existing economic relations but alas African ministers have not yet wrapped their heads around the extent of the problem.

What is Behind the Migration of Africans to Europe?

Both bloggers attempted to put migrations of Africans to Europe in perspective.

Zinguinchor, Senegal mayor Robert Sagna thought:

Les flux migratoires ont toujours existé et sous des formes diverses : violentes ou pacifiques.
De nos jours, la libre circulation, des biens et des hommes, constitue l’élément essentiel d’un brassage planétaire, au cœur de ce qui est appelé « mondialisation ». Les biens et les services ne peuvent pas circuler sans les hommes, et les nouvelles technologies de l’information et de la communication ont fini de faire de ce globe terrestre un village planétaire, un vase communiquant où la richesse et l’opulence des uns sont une soupape d’appel des plus pauvres en quête de moyens de survie. Cela impose à l’humanité toute entière, une nouvelle attitude faite d’ouverture, de générosité et de tolérance. La notion de frontière fermée n’est plus de mise et il est illusoire de vouloir arrêter la mer avec ses bras.

Migrations have always existed and in various forms: violent or peaceful.
These days, the free circulation of goods and persons is an essential element of a global melting pot and at the heart of what is referred to as “globalization.” Goods and services cannot circulate without people and new information and communication technologies have completed the process of making a global village of the planet, a pipe where the wealth and opulence of some serves as a valve sucking in the less fortunate looking for means of survival. This imposes on humanity as a whole a new attitude made of openness, generosity and tolerance. The notion of closed borders is no longer possible and it makes no sense to want to stop the ocean with one's bare arms.

Le Pangolin looked closely at structural and historical issues:

Sur le plan économique, l’Afrique a du mal à nourrir sa population, sa production agricole détournée vers les cultures d’exportation pendant la colonisation, puis poursuivie les années d’indépendance a scellé le sort alimentaire des Africains. (…) Un pays comme le Congo pour un budget annuel d’Etat de près de 1000 milliards de francs cfa, dépense près de 200 milliards de francs cfa pour subvenir à ces besoins alimentaires (et dire que dans ce pays il pleut en moyenne 9 mois sur 12 et que près de 60% de sa superficie est constituée de foret).
Tant que les pays du Nord et de l’Asie continueront à subventionner leur agriculture et que le FMI et la banque Mondiale continueront à imposer le libéralisme à tout va aux pays africains en empêchant les gouvernements africains de subventionner leur agriculture, du coup tous ces éléments rendant l’agriculture pas du tout lucrative en poussant les paysans vers les villes (le taux d’urbanisation des pays africains a dépassé celui des pays d’Europe et des USA, on relève de chiffres dépassant 65% ) tout cela ayant pour conséquences :
L’augmentation de la pauvreté rurale
Ø Augmentation des bidonvilles
Ø Augmentation d’insalubrité donc des maladies infantiles et de sa mortalité
Ø Augmentation du taux de chômage, les migrants ruraux n’ayant pas pour la plupart de formation professionnelle, ces derniers manqueraient de tout (école, loisirs, santé, travail) d’où criminalisation de la vie privée et politique en Afrique.
Ø Augmentation des importations des produits alimentaires européens, asiatiques et américains avec conséquences augmentation de l’achat des devises étrangères.

On the economic front, Africa has a hard time feeding its population, its agricultural output having been channeled towards exports during the colonization period [and since the trend] continued during the years of Independence, Africans' fate was sealed. (…) A country like the Congo for an annual state budget of 1000 billion of CFA Francs spends about 200 billion CFA Francs to feed its population (this despite the fact that it rains about 9 months out of 12 and that 60% of is surface is covered by forests).
The countries of the North and of Asia continue to subsidize their agriculture and the IMF and the World Bank continue to impose liberalism at the drop of a hat to African countries while preventing those countries from subsidizing their agriculture, making agriculture non-lucrative by pushing peasants to the cities (the rate of urbanization in Africa surpasses that of Europe and USA at up to 65%), with the following consequences:
*Increase in rural poverty
*Increase in city slums
*Increase in sanitary and hygiene problems and hence in infantile diseases and mortality
*Increase in unemployment rates, rural migrants not having for the most part any professional training, they lack everything (schooling, entertainment, health, work) hence the criminalization of private and political life in Africa
*Increase in imports of food from Europe, Asia and the USA ensuing an increase in the purchase of foreign currencies.

Using Drained Brains Differently

Senegalese commentators on Robert Sagna's blog tried to offer solutions.

For Kader, brains being drained out of Africa need to be managed to the continent's advantage :

L’un des facteurs favorisant le flux migratoire est la possibilité de travail (même au noir)
N’oublions pas qu’une nation qui vieillit a besoin de sang neuf; c’est malheureusement le cas des pays européens
un renouvellement de la population est toujours à l’ordre du jour . Celà participe de la dynamique des populations.
un autre facteur qui se dessine est la volonté de moins investir sur la formation des cadres et de pomper les ressources humaines des autres nations: c’est la volonté affichée des USA et aujourd’hui de la France à travers la fameuse loi sur l’immigration
Quelle attitude développer? Réorienter la coopérations? L’heure n’est elle pas venue pour que nos ressortissants hautement qualifiés soient des “coopérants” de type nouveaux?

One of the factors favoring migrations is the availability of work (even on the black market). Let's not forget that a nation that is getting older needs new blood; that is unfortunately the case of European countries. A renewal of the population is always needed. That is part of dynamics of populations. Another factor is the will to invest less in the training of cadres and to pump the human ressources of other nations: that is the will of the USA and today of France through its new immigration law. What attitude to develop? Reorienting cooperations? Isn't it time that our highly qualified nationals become new kinds of “cadres”?