Upmarket Kreol magazine highlights Mancham’s views on pertinent issues

Upmarket Kreol magazine highlights Mancham’s views on pertinent issues

06-November-2015
The glossy upmarket International Kreol magazine published by Rila Publications of London, under the editorship of Georgina Dhillon, has recently launched the 2015 second edition of the magazine, with the sub-title ‘Separated by water but united by culture’.
This edition devotes six of its pages to an interview with Seychelles' founding President Sir James R. Mancham under the heading of ‘Seychelles Global Citizen’. In that interview with Kreol magazine, Sir James discusses his thoughts about Seychelles, foreign affairs, and its relations with the United States as well as the state of Creole culture and its future.
Sir James with Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, chairperson of the African Union (AU), in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The interview often refers to Sir James's last book, SEYCHELLES - The saga of a small nation navigating the cross-currents of a big world, focusing on the presidency of Mr Michel and Sir James's conclusion that “Michel is the right man, in the right place, at the right time”.
Concerning recent developments, Sir James states – “I have always felt with conviction that the changes that are to be brought to any system is better brought about by those who have been part of its creation. Michel has been part of that system since it started and knows more than anyone else what changes should be brought about to get the system better and working well.”
When asked about the role of Seychelles as a small nation wishing to have a voice in world affairs, Sir James replied – “I have coined a phrase which has the support and approval of most island nations: 'No country is small if it is surrounded by the sea’. This position is certainly reflected by the geo-political focus to which the Seychelles is subjected at this time when the big powers are competing for a role in the Indian Ocean. In fact, if the British had not owned the island of Ascension, they would not have been able to recover the Falklands because the friends of Argentina were also friends of the British and nobody wanted to take sides in that conflict.”
Describing island nations such as Seychelles as potential “unsinkable aircraft carriers”, potential launching pads from where missiles could be fired to most countries in the Middle East, Sir James stressed that many nations have not considered this point which explains Seychelles' strategic characteristic and therefore why the big powers are competing to have an influential position in the zone.

The book has a whole chapter dealing with international relations. Of particular interest, it deals with America's shortsighted diplomacy in closing its Seychelles embassy at the end of the Cold War although the Chinese, the Russians, the Indians, the French and the British were becoming more and more involved. Sir James of course is best equipped to write about US-Seychelles relationship because as a lawyer, he represented the three major American companies who were fronting for the US Air Force which was operating a station to spy over the former Soviet Union at that time.
Questioned about the current status of American foreign policy, it is his view that the Republican Party has failed to appreciate that President Barack Obama has acted as the leader of the USA and not as the leader of Black America.
“If he had played the role of a black American activist, there would have been much more turmoil within the nation. He had the potential of creating national chaos but instead he kept away from the extreme of the fanatics and played to the national interest,” Sir James opines.
When asked how Seychelles can promote itself as a great Creole nation, Sir James replies – “Creolisation is a sample of the world to come. As far as I am concerned President Obama is not a black man nor a white man. He is indeed a Creole. His international standing has certainly enhanced the value of 'La Créolite' in the future world. History has seen to it that the Seychelles is now spearheading the role of island nations in asserting its contribution to international development. Considering that the Seychellois is basically a Creole nation, Seychelles can pursue the role of becoming 'le Capital de la Créolite.' After all, it has already acquired a reputation for its annual Creole Festival. Indeed we can be a bridge between all skin colours, races and cultures by showing that all of us can live together with a minimum of prejudices. We should be proud of the fact that within a Seychellois family you can find a little daughter looking like a European, a son looking like an African, and a big brother looking like an Asian. In my view this constitutes a sample of the world to come. Certainly sex appeal is beyond the fact of colour or race. That is why there is an increasing number of ‘café au lait’ people in the world today. As a matter of fact Creolisation has already started to make an impact in the UK. If you go there and watch its television so many of its speakers and presenters appear to have a Caribbean background. You also see the situation emerging in the fashion and modelling industry. Of course there is no action without a reaction but with the Creole people becoming more and more educated and ambitious you could see them playing a greater and greater role in liberal societies. Many European nations are showing zero population growth because they are not in favour of large families. It is possible that the Creole people could eventually constitute a cohesion that could counter balance the increasing number of people in India and China. It may take many more years for Creolisation to maximise its international impact but what is taking place today certainly indicates that the number of Creole people will continue to grow.”
The interview is illustrated by several photographs - one depicting Sir James with Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma - chairperson of the African Union (AU) and another one with former Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
According to an editorial, Kreol magazine aims to reflect the vibrance of Creole culture and will thus always exude an upbeat and positive atmosphere.
Kreol magazine is available online at www.kreoolmagazine.com

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=247396

Is learning Kreol grammar essential for our children’s future?

31-March-2016
Many people believe that FREEDOM means "doing anything that we want"… Alas no one is COMPLETELY FREE in that sense!! A person is a slave to whatever controls him/her! 2 Peter Chpt 2
Therefore to "remain free" is part of "feeling RICH"… but in the right sense of the word..!!!
Apre son lopinyon tre enteresan lo size “Are we rich or poor”, mon’n soke pour lir sa enn lopinyon Msye Mancham dan zournal Seychelles NATION Zedi le 24 Mars avek tit “Is learning Kreol grammar essential for our children’s future?”. Apre tou, nou annan laliberte lekspresyon dan Sesel … se sa ki enteresan e rann nou lib!!! Alor mon osi santi li mon devwar pour azout mon lopinyon lo menm size e mon «challenge» Msye Mancham pour lir pour mwan an KREOL !!!!
Konman “un vrai Homme du Monde” li osi, mon sir Msye Mancham dan son bann kantite parkour aletranze in rankontre lezot «Hommes/Femmes du Monde» ki pa neseserman konn koz Angle (English) ouswa Franse (French). Si mwan mon’n trouv sa, dan bann aktyalite atraver lemonn lo televizyon, Msye Mancham in pli byen plase pour temwanny sa realite an personn dan tou bann «forum» kot in pran par. I annan sef deta bokou pei lemonn e lezot o plase ki zero kot en lot lalang i konsernen, e se rezon akoz bokou i mars avek zot enterpret.
Resaman mon’n war enterpret sorti Lasin pe tradwir Angle dan nouvel Sesel e plizyer fwa dan nouvel 8er mon’n trouv plizyer anbasader ki pe lager pour sey dir enn de mo Angle ouswa Franse.
Eski tousala i normal, sof nou Kreol !!?? Anliny avek tousala oli problenm si en o zofisye dan gouvernman Sesel ki pa konn koz Angle ouswa Franse i al reprezant son pei kek par avek son enterpret Seselwa ki konn koz sa de langaz ???
Si mon pou fer komanter lo lartik Msye Mancham an antye, i pou pran mwan ziska demen, alor mon a plito fer komanter lo pwen ki’n pli tous mwan konman en patriot. «Si ou perdi ou lalang maternel, ou osi ou perdi», dapre li sa pa en fe!, avek tou respe !
Perdi (lost) i kapab ganny servi dan diferan konteks. Mon a ilistre sa osi senp : si en zanfan Seselwa ki pe grandi i konnen kisisa «a dog» me i pa konnen kisisa «en lisyen»…mon krwar i annan en problenm la. Si en zanfan Seselwa ki pe grandi, i konnen kisisa «a flower» me i pa konnen kisisa «en fler», mon krwar in fini perdi ! Si en Seselwa i kanmi pour koz son langaz devan etranze, mon krwar in fini perdi menm ! En sitwayen ki son langaz (mother tongue) i fer li onte i pa en Patriot e in fini perdi, a mon avi !
Mon langaz, mon pei, lekol kot mon’n ale, enkli NYS, i form par saki mon été. Si mon kanmi tousala, alors mon kanmi sa ki mon ete ozordi, konman en et imen !! Menm Krist pa ti war nanryen mal avek koz «prop langaz», dan «Actes des Apôtres , sapit 2, vers 6 a 8..Lapannkot, bann zapot ti koz dan zot langaz natif. I vedir pour Krist, pour nobou koz ou prop langaz i «en mervey» !
Eski se akoz langaz Kreol i ganny montre dan lekol primer leta, ki zanfan i fini lekol «not rounded enough» !!?? Laverite se ki wi napa liv lasyans an Creole ouswa Kreol, me eski sa in fer zanfan segonder pli disiplinen!!??
I annan en lot laverite ki mon pou fer konmanter lo la, e sa se sa fo konsept ki zanfan dan sa 3 lekol prive i sorti pli “rounded up” ki dan lekol leta. Mon posed ase bagaz pour koz lo sa size. Pandan 14-an mon’n vire tournen International School Mont Fleuri, enn mon zanfan in lekol laba. San al dan gran detay, mon pou dir onnetman e byen fran ki lekol prive i otan en «dumping site» pour bokou paran, parey lekol leta i ete. Lannen 2015, mazorite zanfan ki’n fer A-Level International School, pa’n neseserman byen fer. Sel diferans se laba zot annan larzan pour peye e lekol leta i gratwit !
Byensir lekol prive i annan bokou lavantaz, me senpleman pour bann ki annan lanvi pour aprann me pa bann ki al sof sez, e sa i osi aplik pour lekol leta! Parey dan lekol leta, dan lekol prive osi, ler zanfan i fel ouswa ler zanfan i annan problenm zot blanm mankman ansennyan ouswa «Board of Governors». Sepourtan parey nou’n lir dan lartik, lekol prive pa ansenny KREOL!
Annou aksepte realite, san esey rod leskiz pour tou fot ki nou fer olye travay lo la e amelyore.
Sa i anmenn mwan pour fer remark lo sa 100 zour ki tou lezour nou pe konte pour Prezidan ek son Gouvernman. Silvouple, sa i osi aplik pour nou tou ! Nou tou nou form parti Gouvernman sirtou bann travayer piblik. Dan 100 zour, dan 365 zour, neanmwen ki kantite zour, nou tou nou bezwen vin pli pozitiv e fer pli byen, pour benefisye nou menm endividyelman e sa ki nou kapab fer pour nou pei pozitivman. A mon avi annan en latitid konpartmantalize se en latitid inyoran e limite !
Si nou ti vreman azour avek tou laktyalite Sesel, nou ti pou okouran ki resaman bann etidyan pos-segonder ki’n fer pli byen, pa’n neseserman sorti dan lekol prive, zot sorti kot SALS, e zot in fer primer ek segonder dan lekol Leta, kot byensir Kreol in form par zot lavi, me sa pa’n anpes zot ariv kot zot ti anvi arive! An pasan mon’n osi annan 2 zanfan ki’n lekol 15-an dan lekol Leta e toulede zot in fer tre byen dan zot kors ki zot ti swazir. Byensir zot ti fer Kreol osi. Ozordi, enn pe travay dan son domenn ki in swazir e lot pe fer son 4enm lannen dan Liniversite, dan son kors ki in swazir. Mon tre fyer de zot, zis parey mon tre fyer de sa enn ki’n lekol International School ! Zanfan i vin sa ki zot anvi vini senpleman si zot anvi vini !! Napa nanryen pour fer avek aprann Kreol dan lekol ou non!
Resaman bann ansennyan sorti Botswana ti fer serten konmanter vizavi bann etidyan e mon sit 2: «In Botswana students are different where behaviour is concerned and they follow rules, something which is not always the case here.. “
En lot konmanter “Students believe they can get away with anything, they do what they want and as they please…”
Avan ki nou kontinyen blanm langaz Kreol pour lafason ki zanfan lekol i konport zot dan lanvironnman lekol, mon senserman krwar ki in ler pour Gouvernman ek Minister Ledikasyon tir son balizaz. Lekol i sipoze en LENSTITISYON EDIKASYONNEL E NON PA EN LENSTITISYON DISIPLINER OUBYEN KOREKSYONNEL!! Si ansennyan lekol i pas letan zis pour dir zanfan ekoute, konport zot, pour met lord ek zanfan ki pe kas lafnet, fan, latab, sez, etc, pour al rod zanfan ki pa rantre dan laklas pour leson, an dot mo zanfan ki pa enterese pour vin lekol, pour sa bi pour ki lekol in ganny kree, alors zanmen ansennyan pou annan sa letan pour ansennyen. Zot letan ek zot progranm letid pou ganny gate e retarde par sa bann zanfan lesefer, ki krwar lavi i deroul otour zis zot. Sa bann tel zanfan se pa laprantisaz Kreol ki zot problenm… zot pa sipoze dan lekol…me plito ayer pour rezourd zot vre problenm !!! Si Gouvernman ek Minister Ledikasyon pa tir zot balizaz dan en dele letan…problenm pou agrave e depas zot. Ansennyan ek sa pti minorite ki anvi aprann ki pou sibir lepokase, e non pa sa bann zanfan ki pe mal konport zot ouswa langaz KREOL !!

Noëmie Woodcock

Seychelles Nation

The case of ‘Creole’ versus ‘Kreol’

31-March-2016
It was certainly most pertinent on your part to publish in today’s issue of NATION the letter of ‘En Seselwa ki kontan son pei’, criticising my recent Opinion Page concerning the Creole language.
Briefly, in that Page, I had made the point that whilst we make maximum use of the Creole language, it is not in the interest of the young generation to be compelled to learn a grammar which had been arbitrarily created and which is restrictive in its application within the Creole world.
I also made the point that if the Seychellois people has a maternal language, it is the Creole which their forefathers and mothers had spoken and not the ‘Kreol’ which was introduced and grammartised arbitrarily in the 1980s after the coup.
I consider myself, relatively speaking, to be academically qualified in the Seychelles context to have made the points I did in the Opinion Page concerning the subject matter. After all, I did my primary and secondary schooling in Seychelles, study law in London, practiced as a lawyer in Seychelles before becoming the first Chief Minister, the first Prime Minister and the first President of the Republic.
Despite such a background, I had great difficulties to read the letter you published in ‘Kreol’ from sois-disant ‘En Seselwa ki kontan son pei’. This fact confirmed to me once again that this ‘Kreol’ is certainly not the maternal Creole spoken and written by our parents and forebears and which we inherited at the time of our birth.
I do not understand what point the writer is making when he quotes – “When a people no longer dares to defend its language, it is ripe for slavery…’’ - and then takes the trouble of quoting this statement in French, Basque, Brazilian, Breton, Catalan, Danish and Dutch. I think, in our circumstances, it would be more suitable and intelligent to say that when the Seychellois people allowed their Creole language to be mutilated and turned into ‘Kreol’, they sadly demonstrated that they were ripe for a new form of slavery.
It is sad and unfortunate that the person who wrote the letter did not have the bravado to identify himself or herself and preferred to hide behind an abstract ‘nom de plume’. So far as we know, this person could very well be among those who congratulated me for my Opinion Page but has now decided, behind the façade of anonymity, to play the role of a ‘kameleon’.

James R. Mancham

Seychelles Nation