A series of activities were organized by the Seychelles Club in Perth, to celebrate the Creole Festival in Australia. The Festival was celebrated on November 3, 2018 and the event brought together all the Creole communities in Perth.
To open the festival a welcoming speech was given by the Seychelles Club President, Mr. Pat Barallon, who thanked warmly all the partners including the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) for supporting the commemorations of the Creole Festival. He also added that having the engagement of other communities from the Caribbean, Mauritius and La Reunion made the festival more inclusive and meaningful.
The activities saw the participation of local renowned artist; Ms. Antoinette Dodin performing at the events, Ms. Dodin was back by Grace Barbe and her band, bringing the heart of the Seychellois community in Perth a little closer to their island homeland.
On the itinerary of the night were Creole music, dance performances and food, all of which gave the audience the opportunity to appreciate the diverse beauty of the Creole culture profoundly.
The talented Ms. Eleonora Green and Ms. Axelle Angelique choreographed the traditional and modern dances, in a way to portray how the traditional Seychellois dances have evolved. Their aim was to get the younger generation involved so that they can continue the journey that was started before them.
Adding to the celebration, the girls of the Caribbean diaspora, dressed in their traditional dresses made of the madras fabric, presented an outstanding dance performance. They were backed by their families and older members of their community.
Commenting on the STB’s commitment to create visibility for the destination sometimes demands investment in activities that go in parallel with tourism.
“We have very meager budget to penetrate some emerging markets and the strategy for markets like these are always to look for ways to build on other activities and partnerships which already exist where possible. Additionally, if we build the awareness focusing on the elements that differentiate Seychelles from its close competitors, thus showcasing our culture and at the same time tapping into the appropriate market segment, it will surely help to add to the visitor arrivals basket. Taking into consideration the large Seychellois community in Perth; if each and every of them all give a hand to promote our Country, it will definitely give an added boost to our visibility in Australia, thus such initiative should be greatly encouraged,” said Mrs. Jovanovic- Desir.
The show continued with a group of dancers from Reunion Island where the girls, also dressed in their traditional brightly colored costumes, gave a performance, choreographed by Murielle Toulcanon.
The cultural show of the Perth Creole Festival 2018 would not have been complete without Mauritian Sega dance performances, which was executed by Yannick’s Dance Fusion, a group of young dancers of Mauritian and other cultural background. Their performance was very lively and, as expected made an excellent impression.
The show was largely attended by several of the Creole communities in Perth and Australian friends and acquaintances who wanted to know more about Seychelles.
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