Seychelles National Museums celebrate 50th anniversary |19 May 2015

Long serving employees of the Seychelles National Museums have been rewarded during a ceremony yesterday morning to commemorate International Museum Day and the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Seychelles National Museums.

International Museum Day is celebrated on May 18 each year and as the Seychelles National Museums are celebrating their 50th anniversary, an exhibition depicting their key achievements over the past 50 years and the work they have done to preserve our heritage and identity also opened at the National Museum. The exhibition also has on display a series of exhibits created by talented primary school pupils from Bel Ombre, Takamaka, and Port Glaud highlighting their vision of a sustainable community.

The ceremony was attended by the principal secretary for Culture Benjamine Rose, the director of the National Museum, Cecile Kalebi, museum staff and students.
Bella Rose, the longest serving employee, was rewarded for clocking 33 years of service with the National Museum.

Seven employees have clocked over 10 years of service and they are: Cecile Kalebi (11 years), Berthilde Belle (18 years), Natasha Figaro (19 years), Charles Morel (19 years), Anne Marie Banane (21 years), Beryl Ondiek (22 years) and Jeanne Pothin (27 years).

Jeniffa William, Lucie Mumuni, Juliette Zelime, Christianne Furneau and Nicole Barreau are the five employees who have been working with the museums for less than 10 years and they too received certificates for their devotion.  

Special recognition went to two individuals who have over the years been part and parcel of the key developments of the National Museum, and they are Nadege Dugasse and Alain Lucas.
Ms Dugasse worked with the National Museum since 1978 until 2012 when she was transferred to the Cleaner’s Cooperative, while Mr Lucas started working with the National Museum in 1972 and was director until 2008 before being transferred to the archives.

At the ceremony the Friends of the Museum Club was launched and the club’s ambassadors were presented with T-shirts. A total of 10 students were chosen from various schools on Mahe to be members of the club. They will be the ambassadors to the museum and guardians of their natural and historical heritage.

Addressing the audience gathered for the event PS Rose said: “International Museum Day is celebrated each year to raise awareness of the fact that museums are important means of providing cultural exchanges, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among people.”

With dedicated members of staff, the future of the National Museums, under the guidance of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, is bright with new exciting developments along the way, such as the re-opening of the National Museum of History in its new location at the ex-Supreme Court building next year, as well as the upcoming proposals for the creation of a Maritime Museum in the near future,” PS Rose said.