The Seychelles National Heritage Resource Council organised a tree-planting activity at the Mission Lodge at Sans Souci to mark Commonwealth Day.
Present at the ceremony were British High Commissioner Patrick Lynch; the principal secretary for Culture, Cecile Kalebi; the MNA for Port Glaud, Egbert Aglae; and participants from the Heritage Club.
Some 20 new fruit saplings donated by the Seychelles National Parks and Garden Authority were planted during the activity yesterday.
The saplings comprised ‘rousay’, kakao (cacao), kafe (coffee), vavang, korsol (sour sop), miska (nutmeg), ponm lokal (local apple), zoranz eg (bitter orange). These fruit trees reflect the original trees that were once originally cultivated by the slave children at the site known as Venn’s Town.
In her opening remarks the executive director for Culture, Julienne Barra, noted that the theme for this year’s Commonwealth Day is ‘Delivering a Common Future’, which highlights the 54 Commonwealth countries that are using their resources to achieve common goals such the fight against climate change, promoting good governance and boosting trade.
It is also the year of Her Majesty the Queen’s Jubilee and she is focusing on the role service plays in the lives and communities across the Commonwealth.
Ms Barra said that Venn’s Town Mission Ruins Heritage site is one of Seychelles’ most valuable assets culturally and environmentally.
HC Lynch said in a statement that today 54 independent countries across the world, representing 2.4 billion people, celebrate Commonwealth Day.
He stressed that “at the heart of this, we see shared democratic values and a commitment to work for the benefit all Commonwealth member states. This includes a call to action to address the climate crisis. This represents an immediate threat to the people of the Commonwealth, and is especially important for the younger generations that may see the most severe impact”.
The British high commissioner said they are proud to support local experts in Seychelles who are leading the way and providing an example to the UK and other Commonwealth countries. The tree planting initiative is one of many where the deep knowledge and understanding of the land and ocean, embedded in the national culture of Seychelles, can be turned into practical responses to mitigate the climate threat that we face.
Liam Laira, one of the many participants from the Heritage Club who helped in planting the saplings, said other than the tree-planting ceremony, they have visited various places, made baskets and painted wheels. He added that in two years they will visit the trees and see their progress.
Cindy Moka, the senior project officer at the Seychelles National Heritage Resource Council, said that the history of the Missionaries that came to Seychelles at that time from Britain and the visit of the Queen is the reason why they chose to conduct the tree-planting on the occasion of the Commonwealth Day 2022. She added that it is also to embellish the site as various works and projects are underway, one of them being access way (ramp) for the disabled.
The accompanying photographs show some highlights of the ceremony.
Source: Seychelles Nation
