Upmarket Kreol magazine highlights Mancham’s views on pertinent issues |06 November 2015
The glossy upmarket International Kreol magazine published by Rila Publications of London, under the editorship of Georgina Dhillon, has recently launched the 2015 second edition of the magazine, with the sub-title ‘Separated by water but united by culture’.
This edition devotes six of its pages to an interview with Seychelles' founding President Sir James R. Mancham under the heading of ‘Seychelles Global Citizen’. In that interview with Kreol magazine, Sir James discusses his thoughts about Seychelles, foreign affairs, and its relations with the United States as well as the state of Creole culture and its future.
The interview often refers to Sir James's last book, SEYCHELLES - The saga of a small nation navigating the cross-currents of a big world, focusing on the presidency of Mr Michel and Sir James's conclusion that “Michel is the right man, in the right place, at the right time”.
Concerning recent developments, Sir James states – “I have always felt with conviction that the changes that are to be brought to any system is better brought about by those who have been part of its creation. Michel has been part of that system since it started and knows more than anyone else what changes should be brought about to get the system better and working well.”
When asked about the role of Seychelles as a small nation wishing to have a voice in world affairs, Sir James replied – “I have coined a phrase which has the support and approval of most island nations: 'No country is small if it is surrounded by the sea’. This position is certainly reflected by the geo-political focus to which the Seychelles is subjected at this time when the big powers are competing for a role in the Indian Ocean. In fact, if the British had not owned the island of Ascension, they would not have been able to recover the Falklands because the friends of Argentina were also friends of the British and nobody wanted to take sides in that conflict.”
Describing island nations such as Seychelles as potential “unsinkable aircraft carriers”, potential launching pads from where missiles could be fired to most countries in the Middle East, Sir James stressed that many nations have not considered this point which explains Seychelles' strategic characteristic and therefore why the big powers are competing to have an influential position in the zone.
The book has a whole chapter dealing with international relations. Of particular interest, it deals with America's shortsighted diplomacy in closing its Seychelles embassy at the end of the Cold War although the Chinese, the Russians, the Indians, the French and the British were becoming more and more involved. Sir James of course is best equipped to write about US-Seychelles relationship because as a lawyer, he represented the three major American companies who were fronting for the US Air Force which was operating a station to spy over the former Soviet Union at that time.
Questioned about the current status of American foreign policy, it is his view that the Republican Party has failed to appreciate that President Barack Obama has acted as the leader of the USA and not as the leader of Black America.
“If he had played the role of a black American activist, there would have been much more turmoil within the nation. He had the potential of creating national chaos but instead he kept away from the extreme of the fanatics and played to the national interest,” Sir James opines.
When asked how Seychelles can promote itself as a great Creole nation, Sir James replies – “Creolisation is a sample of the world to come. As far as I am concerned President Obama is not a black man nor a white man. He is indeed a Creole. His international standing has certainly enhanced the value of 'La Créolite' in the future world. History has seen to it that the Seychelles is now spearheading the role of island nations in asserting its contribution to international development. Considering that the Seychellois is basically a Creole nation, Seychelles can pursue the role of becoming 'le Capital de la Créolite.' After all, it has already acquired a reputation for its annual Creole Festival. Indeed we can be a bridge between all skin colours, races and cultures by showing that all of us can live together with a minimum of prejudices. We should be proud of the fact that within a Seychellois family you can find a little daughter looking like a European, a son looking like an African, and a big brother looking like an Asian. In my view this constitutes a sample of the world to come. Certainly sex appeal is beyond the fact of colour or race. That is why there is an increasing number of ‘café au lait’ people in the world today. As a matter of fact Creolisation has already started to make an impact in the UK. If you go there and watch its television so many of its speakers and presenters appear to have a Caribbean background. You also see the situation emerging in the fashion and modelling industry. Of course there is no action without a reaction but with the Creole people becoming more and more educated and ambitious you could see them playing a greater and greater role in liberal societies. Many European nations are showing zero population growth because they are not in favour of large families. It is possible that the Creole people could eventually constitute a cohesion that could counter balance the increasing number of people in India and China. It may take many more years for Creolisation to maximise its international impact but what is taking place today certainly indicates that the number of Creole people will continue to grow.”
The interview is illustrated by several photographs - one depicting Sir James with Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma - chairperson of the African Union (AU) and another one with former Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
According to an editorial, Kreol magazine aims to reflect the vibrance of Creole culture and will thus always exude an upbeat and positive atmosphere.
Kreol magazine is available online at www.kreoolmagazine.com