Seychelles gears up to celebrate its cultural heritage

Seychelles gears up to celebrate its cultural heritage

15-April-2016
Seychelles will this year be celebrating Heritage Week from tomorrow Saturday April 16 to Wednesday April 20.
Heritage Day is an international event which is celebrated each year on April 18. It was initiated by Icomos (International Council on Monuments and Sites) in 1982 and was approved by Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in 1983. The aim of this event is to celebrate the diversity of heritage throughout the world. The theme chosen by Icomos for 2016 is ‘Heritage of Sport’.
In Seychelles activities to mark the occasion will spread over five days with the launch ceremony taking place tomorrow at the Mont Fleuri playing field.
During the ceremony a group of people who have followed a workshop on how to make moutya drum will receive their certificate.
Presentation of certificates of appreciation as well as traditional games also feature on the programme for the launch ceremony.
Meanwhile Seychelles NATION will carry a feature article on this year’s theme in its weekend issue.
In addition to the opening ceremony, site cleaning at various spots on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue has also been planned for tomorrow.
Monday will be dedicated to artwork by Heritage Clubs as well as a quiz on radio and documentary on television.
A four laso (traditional oven) signboard at the Heritage Trail on Christopher Gill’s property on Praslin will be officially opened on Tuesday.
The activities will wind up on Wednesday with more site cleaning on the La Bastille grounds at Pointe Conan.
Heritage Week is an occasion to not only reflect on the achievements and obstacles in the heritage domain but most importantly it is an opportunity to reconnect with our heritage and embrace the possibilities it offers in the future.
It is equally a celebration of our unique cultural and material inheritance, the very essence that makes us what we are today, a renewed attachment with the common threads that connects the Seychellois people to its social, economic and political past and which contributes to our ability to live the legacy of cultural diversity, social cohesion, peace and unity.
The National Heritage Research and Protection Section (NHRPS) has been organising the annual Heritage Week activities celebrating Seychelles cultural heritage since 1997. The Section, through a ‘Heritage week committee’, is responsible for the planning and coordination of the week of activities which encourages the general public to learn about their national heritage and the work that is being done to safeguard them. Heritage Week 2016 will be a joint collaboration of the NHRPS, the Seychelles Heritage Foundation (SHF) and the National Sports Council (NSC).

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=249080