Rédaction Africa Links 24 with nation.sc
Published on 2024-03-03 15:10:13
The Seychelles Creole Encounters, a purely Seychellois initiative, will take place from March 4th to 8th, 2024 at the International Conference Centre of the Seychelles. This second edition will feature activities organized by the Africa Links 24al Institute for Culture, Heritage, and the Arts, with the participation of Haiti, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Mauritius, Reunion, Rodrigues, and Madagascar.
This event follows in the footsteps of the “Creole Encounters of Victoria” that took place two years ago. The importance of Creole culture in the world today lies in its ability to promote unity, solidarity, tolerance, peace, and harmony. In a global context where different peoples and cultures exist in a highly conflictual environment, it appears that post-slavery Creole communities have managed to create a positive and harmonious environment. It is therefore crucial to amplify the Creole voice in the world. As a Creole people, it is essential for the Seychelles to be involved in these initiatives, as they also celebrate the Creole Festival. Through these Creole encounters, we can deepen our values,” emphasized Secretary General David André.
During these encounters, Secretary General André explained that it would be interesting to meet, exchange, and analyze the different lessons, best practices, and useful references for coexisting with different cultural and political values. It would be an opportune moment to examine the persistent traumas and identity conflicts that permeate the current Creole world, but also to acknowledge and celebrate its positive aspects.
This event aims to bring together creators, decision-makers, artists, poets, literary figures, academics, gastronomes, and individuals actively passionate about Creole cultures, concerned with their transmission and exchange.
These meetings are organized in the context of the potential inscription of Creole Cultures as an element on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, an initiative by the President of Cape Verde, Mr. José Maria Neves. The Seychelles Creole Encounters are organized in coordination with the World Summit of Creole Countries, Nations, and Regions scheduled to take place in September 2024 in Cape Verde.
The “Seychelles Creole Encounters” will include two main activities: a conference focused on Human Values and Creolization, and a musical co-creation. The primary objective of the conference is to discuss the process of creolization, the formation of a synthetic identity, and the influences of African, American, European, and Asian matrices.
Cultures and Creole languages from around the world are the subject of academic research, as they constitute the last group of languages and cultures born in human history. They represent a wide range of opportunities for scientific observation and research on language and cultural development.
“We must now transform the discourse on cultural values. It is crucial to engage in dialogues aimed at proposing an inclusive approach that has a significant impact on shaping social relations. It is about avoiding any reduction or ghettoization of Creole cultures and identities. We sincerely hope that this conference will be a platform for stimulating debates, a platform in which new metaphors and visions will be proposed to reduce or eliminate existing prejudices against Creoles,” added SG André.
The interventions will focus on six main themes: Creole Identity and Creolization; Creole Values; Ancestral Knowledge; The Creole Garden and Gastronomy; Nature, our Mother Earth, and its protection for our common life; Decolonization and reparations. The languages used for the different activities will be Creole, English, and French.
The producer of the Co-creation music component of the event, Mr. Jimmy Savy, explained: “The co-creation music activity aims to create an exchange platform allowing artists sharing a common Creole culture to share their knowledge and talents. Ambassador Patrick Victor will coordinate this musical co-creation, and the following artists will be part of the project: Jean Marc Volcy, Brian Matombé, Sanley Monnaie, Tania, Savoca, Tony, and Stephan Rezannah. For several years, countries in the Indian Ocean region have wanted to create a piece for the region. We are pleased to be able to create a work incorporating cultural elements, including our local instruments.”
On the last day of the conference, a musical show from the “Seychelles Creole Encounters” will provide artists with a platform to perform their creations. The Seychelles Creole Encounters promise to be a melting pot of culture, music, art, and values, fostering greater understanding and appreciation of Creole heritage and traditions.
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