Seychelles
A scattered paradise of granite and coral islands in the Indian Ocean, where African, European, and Asian roots have blended into one harmonious Creole people, relaxed in manner and rich in music, faith, and island life. The complete guide.
Seychelles is a small island nation in the Indian Ocean, an archipelago of more than a hundred islands northeast of Madagascar, home to only about a hundred thousand people. To understand it, begin with its Creole identity, for the islands were uninhabited until settlers and enslaved Africans came, and from the meeting of African, French, British, Indian, and Chinese roots grew a single mixed Creole people famous for their harmony; with the language, the Creole tongue called Seselwa that stands beside English and French as the heart of national identity; with the deep Catholic faith, the legacy of French settlement, touched still by older beliefs in spirits; with the rich music and dance, the sega and the moutya; and with the relaxed, easygoing island pace of life. From these flow the customs that follow: the warm greeting, the spicy Creole food, the festivals, and the close island family. This guide walks through each in turn.
Overview
Seychelles is a small island nation scattered across the western Indian Ocean, an archipelago of more than a hundred islands lying northeast of Madagascar and well off the eastern coast of Africa. The islands are of two kinds: the inner islands, mountainous and made of ancient granite, green and dramatic, where almost everyone lives; and the outer islands, low and flat coral atolls, mostly uninhabited, scattered far across the sea. Only about a hundred thousand people live in all of Seychelles, the great majority on the main island of Mahe, with smaller numbers on Praslin and La Digue, making it the least populous nation in Africa. The capital, Victoria, on Mahe, is one of the smallest capital cities in the world.
Seychelles is a stable democratic republic, with a directly elected president who serves as both head of state and head of government. It has three official languages, a rare richness for so small a country: Seychellois Creole, the everyday mother tongue of nearly all the people, called Seselwa; English, the language of government and administration; and French, with its long historical presence. The economy rests above all on tourism, drawn by the islands' famous beauty, and on fishing, especially tuna, and Seychelles has built one of the higher standards of living in Africa, with a strong commitment to conservation and the protection of its extraordinary natural environment.
A few deep forces shape life in Seychelles. There is the Creole identity, the blending of African, European, and Asian roots into one harmonious island people. There is the Creole language, Seselwa, the cherished heart of national identity. There is the Catholic faith, the legacy of French settlement, woven still with older beliefs in spirits. And there is the rich island culture of music and dance, the sega and the moutya, carried along by a relaxed and easygoing pace of life close to the sea. The sections that follow trace these forces and then walk through the customs of daily life.
A Creole melting pot
The heart of Seychelles' identity is its Creole character, the blending of many peoples into one mixed island nation, for like the other Creole islands of the Indian Ocean, Seychelles had no native population before settlers arrived. The islands lay empty until the French claimed and settled them in the later eighteenth century, bringing with them enslaved Africans to work the plantations; the British took over during the Napoleonic wars and ruled until independence, adding their own layer; and over time came smaller numbers of Indians, Chinese, and others. From the meeting and intermarriage of all these peoples, African, French, British, Indian, Chinese, and more, grew a single Creole nation of mixed descent, the Seychellois.
This thorough blending has made Seychelles a true melting pot, and one famous for its harmony. The Seychellois are a colourful mixture of roots from across the globe, woven together over the generations into one well-integrated and peaceful people, and the country takes real pride in the ethnic and religious harmony that has marked its modern history. In the capital, Victoria, a Catholic cathedral stands near an Anglican one, a mosque, a Hindu temple, and other places of worship, a small emblem of the live-and-let-live spirit the nation cherishes. Where some lands are divided by their differences, Seychelles has woven its many influences into a single, easygoing island identity.
The Creole blend shows in every part of the culture, in the language, the food, the music, the faith, and the customs, where African, French, British, and Asian elements are fused into something distinctively Seychellois. African roots run strong in the music, the dance, and the language; French roots in the tongue, the faith, and much of the cooking; Indian and Chinese touches in the food and trade; and over all of it lies the particular sensibility of small island life, relaxed in manner, close to nature and the sea, and bound by community. To understand Seychelles is to understand this Creole melting pot, a harmonious island people formed from the meeting of three continents in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
The Seselwa tongue
Seychelles has three official languages, an unusual richness for so small a nation, and the relationship among them tells much about the country and its history. The everyday language of the people, the mother tongue of nearly everyone and the true heart of national identity, is Seychellois Creole, called Seselwa, a Creole tongue built on a base of old French and enriched with words and rhythms from African and other languages. Beside it stand English, the language of government, the courts, and administration, and French, with its long historical and cultural presence, all three holding official status and each with its place in island life.
Seselwa is the language of intimacy, humour, and belonging, the tongue spoken in the home, in the market, among friends, and in the easy social rhythm of daily life. It was long looked down on as a mere dialect, but in modern Seychelles it has been raised up and honoured: given official status, written as well as spoken, taught and celebrated, and used in the national assembly, the newspaper, and a growing body of plays, poems, and stories. This public embrace of the Creole tongue is a deliberate affirmation of Seychellois identity, a refusal to let a small island culture be overshadowed, and a source of real national pride.
The three languages live together easily, each in its place, and most Seychellois move comfortably among them. English carries the formal and international business of the country; French keeps its prestige and its link to the wider French-speaking world; but it is Seselwa that carries the soul of the nation, the language in which the islands think, joke, sing, and feel at home. A visitor will find English widely understood and useful everywhere, but even a few words of Seselwa, the warm Creole greeting, are appreciated as a mark of respect for the islands' cherished mother tongue. To understand Seychelles is to understand the central place of the Creole language in its sense of self.
Faith, church, and spirits
Seychelles is a strongly Christian country, and predominantly Roman Catholic, the faith brought by the French settlers and held by the great majority of Seychellois ever since, surviving even the long period of British rule. The Catholic Church is a central presence in island life, its parishes and feasts marking the calendar, and Sunday Mass a cherished social occasion when families dress in their best and gather, as much a part of community life as of worship. An Anglican minority, other Christian churches, and small Hindu and Muslim communities share the islands too, all in the harmony for which Seychelles is known, with Victoria's many different houses of worship standing peacefully side by side.
Beneath the strong public faith runs an older current of belief, carried to the islands long ago and woven quietly into the culture. Many Seychellois hold, alongside their Christianity, a lingering belief in spirits and in the old island magic sometimes known as gris-gris, in the power of charms and of traditional ritual to heal, to protect, or to harm. Traditional healers and the old beliefs have not wholly vanished, and a quiet faith in the unseen runs beneath the surface of everyday life, a legacy of the islands' African roots blended, as so much else is, with the Christianity of the settlers.
This easy coexistence of strong Catholic faith with older spirit belief is characteristic of the Creole islands, and it shapes the spiritual life of Seychelles without strife. The great religious festivals are kept with feeling and colour, the saints' days and the church feasts gathering the community, while the older beliefs persist quietly alongside them. Above all, the islands are marked by religious tolerance and harmony, a small society where many faiths live together in peace. A visitor does well to treat the Catholic faith, the churches, and the quieter old beliefs alike with respect, as parts of the layered and peaceable spiritual world of the Seychellois.
Greetings and the island pace
The Seychellois are warm, friendly, and famously relaxed, an always-smiling people, and their greetings are warm and unhurried. The usual greeting is a friendly handshake, with friends and family adding a kiss on the cheek or an embrace, and the greeting comes most naturally in Creole, a warm bonzour for good day, though French and English greetings are equally at home. A greeting and a little friendly exchange come before any business, for the Seychellois value warmth and good relations and would think it rude to rush straight to the point.
The deepest note of Seychellois life is its relaxed, easygoing island pace, the unhurried tropical rhythm that shapes everything. Life on the islands moves slowly and calmly, there is little sense of hurry, and patience is both a virtue and a way of being; service is leisurely, schedules are held loosely, and to fret or push is fruitless and faintly rude. This go-slow, take-it-easy spirit, close to the sea and the sun, is the very temper of the islands, and the Seychellois meet life with a calm good humour and an unflustered ease that visitors quickly come to love.
For a visitor, the way to get on is to match this warmth and ease. Greet people warmly and take time for the friendly exchange that comes before business; be patient and relaxed, and do not chafe at the slow pace or the loose sense of time; and meet the famous Seychellois friendliness with the same openness. When invited to a Seychellois home it is a kind custom to bring a small gift. A few words of Creole, a smile, and an unhurried, respectful manner open every door, for the Seychellois are a gentle and sociable people who respond warmly to those who slow to the island pace and meet them with friendliness. To relax into the easy rhythm of the islands is to be welcomed into Seychellois life.
The Creole table
The food of Seychelles is Creole cooking at its most delicious, a fragrant fusion of African, French, Indian, and Chinese tastes built on the bounty of the islands and the sea. Fresh fish is the heart of it, an abundance of tuna, snapper, barracuda, and more, grilled, curried, or smoked, served with rice, the everyday staple, and seasoned with the spices and herbs the islands love. Tropical fruit and vegetables, sweet potato and breadfruit, coconut and banana, lend their flavours, and the famous fiery Creole chilli sauce adds its heat to many a dish.
The cooking blends its many roots into distinctive island dishes. The great Seychellois speciality is kari koko, a rich fish or chicken curry simmered in coconut milk, fragrant and mild, the very taste of the islands; alongside it are the grilled and smoked fish, the octopus and shellfish curries, the spicy chutneys, the salads brightened with the tender heart of the palm. The Indian love of curry and spice, the French art of the sauce, the Chinese touch in the stir-fry, and the African foundation of fish and starch all meet on the Creole table, and fresh fruit and coconut round out the meal.
Eating is a warm and sociable affair in Seychelles, taken at the same unhurried island pace as everything else, and food is central to hospitality and to the great gatherings of family and community. The festivals, the Sunday meals, and the family celebrations bring out the best of the Creole cooking and the conviviality of the shared table. Dining out ranges from luxurious resort restaurants to humble seaside shacks and market stalls serving cheap and delicious Creole fare. A guest is welcomed warmly and pressed to eat well, for to share the fragrant Creole food, the coconut curry, the grilled fish, the tropical fruit, is a heartfelt act of Seychellois hospitality, best enjoyed slowly and in good company.
Sega, moutya, and festivals
Music and dance lie at the very heart of Seychellois culture, the great expression of the islands' Creole soul, and they reach back to the islands' deepest roots. The music is a rich fusion, African rhythm above all, carried on drums like the tambour, blended with French and European melody and with touches from across the Indian Ocean and beyond, sung in Creole and French and English. Two dances stand at the centre of the tradition: the sega, with its swaying hips and shuffling feet, the joyful social dance of the Creole islands; and the older, deeper moutya, a slow and powerful dance born in the days of slavery, once danced by firelight to the beat of the drum as an outlet for strong feeling, and now honoured as a precious heritage of the islands.
The festival calendar weaves together the Creole, the Catholic, and the national. The great celebration of island identity is the Festival Kreol, the international Creole festival held each year, a vivid week-long tribute to all things Creole, the music, the dance, the language, the food, the poetry, and the crafts, when the nation celebrates and shows off its culture to itself and to the world. To it are joined the great religious feasts, Christmas and Easter and the saints' days kept with colour and devotion, and the national holidays that mark independence and the milestones of the modern nation.
Through the festivals run the living traditions of Seychellois culture: the sega and the moutya danced to the drums, the folk music and the songs in Creole, the colourful costumes, the markets and bazaars, the storytelling and the local theatre rooted in island folklore. Football and other sports, too, draw the community together with real passion. These gatherings are far more than entertainment, for they affirm the Creole identity, pass the heritage to the young, and bind the island communities together. A visitor who joins a Seychellois festival, hears the drums, and watches the sega and moutya sees the island culture at its most joyful and most deeply itself.
Family and island life
Family and community lie at the foundation of Seychellois life, and the bonds of kin and neighbour run warm across the islands. The family is close and important, often reaching beyond the household to embrace a wide circle of relatives, and it is the first source of belonging, help, and identity. One distinctive feature of island life is that, partly because of the great expense of the large and lavish wedding receptions that tradition calls for, many couples live together and raise families without formally marrying, and households often centre strongly on mothers and the bonds between the generations, a long-standing pattern of Seychellois social life.
Life is lived close to the sea, the land, and the community, at the relaxed island pace. Daily life centres on family, on fishing and the sea, on the small towns and villages and the neighbourly bonds within them, on the church and the market and the festival. The smallness of the islands and the closeness of the communities make for a tightly woven society where people know one another, and the easy sociability of the Creole temperament, warm, friendly, and unhurried, knits it all together. Markets, home gardens, family cooking, and local gatherings keep daily life rooted in community and close to the rhythms of the islands.
Modern Seychelles is prosperous by the standards of the region, with a strong tourism economy, good schools and health care, high literacy and long life, and a deep national commitment to protecting the natural environment on which so much depends. Yet through the modern prosperity the island character holds: the close family, the warm community, the relaxed pace, the love of music and the sea, and the harmonious blending of peoples and faiths. To understand Seychelles is to see, beneath the famous beaches and luxury resorts, a small, gentle, harmonious island people bound together by family, community, faith, and the easy Creole rhythm of life in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
The nation today
Seychelles today is a small, prosperous, and stable island republic of about a hundred thousand people, an archipelago of more than a hundred islands in the western Indian Ocean, with its capital at Victoria on the main island of Mahe. It is a democratic republic with a directly elected president as head of state and government, and it has enjoyed political stability, social harmony, and one of the higher standards of living in Africa, with high literacy, long life expectancy, and a strong social welfare system. Its three official languages are Seychellois Creole, English, and French, and its money is the Seychelles rupee.
The islands' modern prosperity rests above all on their extraordinary natural beauty. Tourism is the great pillar of the economy, drawing visitors from around the world to the famous beaches, granite peaks, coral reefs, and rare wildlife, and to it are joined a modern fishing industry, especially tuna, and a small range of other activities. Land and resources are limited, and the country depends on imports, but Seychelles has used good governance and its natural riches to build a comfortable life, and it has won wide respect as a leader in conservation, protecting its reefs, its forests, and its unique species with real seriousness, for the environment is both its heritage and its livelihood.
Through its modern success, Seychelles holds firmly to the Creole identity that defines it. The harmonious blending of African, European, and Asian peoples remains the heart of the nation; the Creole language, Seselwa, is honoured as the soul of the islands; the Catholic faith, touched by older belief, still gathers the community in festival; the sega and moutya still sound to the drums; and the close bonds of family, community, and the relaxed island pace endure. To know Seychelles is to meet one of the world's smallest and most beautiful nations, a harmonious Creole island people living gently and well, close to the sea, in a scattered paradise in the middle of the Indian Ocean.