Seychelles celebrates its food & culture
There he stood. A giant. Dark brown. Fat. A thick carapace as armor. The world’s largest. No, this big, fat, brown fella was not sitting in a restaurant digging into Creole food. He was ahead of everyone with beauty queens side straddle on his back. He was leading the 5th edition of Carnaval International de Victoria (Seychelles Carnival) in Victoria, the island nation’s capital. He is Aldabra, the giant land tortoise, a native and symbol of Seychelles.
It was the first day of the Seychelles Carnival and the streets of Victoria were cluttered with tourists, gawkers, countless tableaux and performers from various countries. An Indian contingent doing the Garba dance and a man flying the Indian national flag. Samba dancers from Brazil with feathers in their hair and fishnet on their long legs. Martial artists from Korea somersaulting in the air. Dancers/singers from Swaziland thumping their feet to the beat of drums. Chinese classical performers. Sami tribeswoman. Dancers from Ghana. Miss USA. Miss World Australia. Miss Seychelles 2014. The Princess of Swaziland. His Highness King Otumfuo Osel Tutu II, the King of Ghana. The President of the Republic of Seychelles.
Tableaux were depicting various aspects of the island nation – Coco de Mer, the world’s largest coconut with seeds weighing up to 15 kgs; La Digue, an island with only 2,800 inhabitants; 5-star resorts; construction companies… Not merely from the host nation, tableaux from various countries and corporates were walking through the streets.
The crowd around me was delirious with distractions. Selfies were multiplying by the second, music was pounding in the ears, there was a whiff of street food in the air and the din of the Carnival was even getting the mountains woozy. The annual carnival had begun and in Victoria, the world’s smallest capital, and Aldabra tortoise was reigning over fun. And the gay abandon of a three-day fest that aims to showcase the island and its culture.
It was my first Seychelles Carnival and the parade started at Bois de Rose Avenue passing through Latanier Road, Clock Tower, STPC bus terminal, Orion Mall and culminating in Stadium car park where the parade ended in a party. The festivities were not restricted to the main thoroughfare. At Stad Popiler, straight lines were turning into an animated story; the Waterfront was hosting a Cabaret Marathon and Hype Party while the Stadium car park had turned into a grand open air discotheque.
Mr Alain St Ange, Minister of Tourism and Culture, harked back to the day when the Carnival began as a dream. “You may say I am a dreamer but I am not the only one”, he quoted John Lennon. From the first beat of the drum and the tapping of the foot five years ago at the first Seychelles Carnival, the festival is turning into one of the biggest draws in the Indian Ocean.
Preeti Verma Lal
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