Remembering Sir James Mancham |27 February 2017

A global peace ambassador …and a volunteer

Individuals from various walks of life volunteer their time and skills, sharing their passions and knowledge at no cost – some on an individual basis, others through organisations and associations. One such volunteer was the late Sir James Mancham.

Weeks have gone by since his sudden death and he is in our thoughts.  As the platform for civil society, Ceps joins the citizens of Seychelles and the rest of the world who have come to know Sir James, the Global Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation.

As we look back, we are so full of gratitude for what he has accomplished as a Statesman but we also rejoice in his interest in the work of civil society, especially for organisations working to promote love, peace and harmony.

Sir James was a defender of Human Rights, proclaiming love for one another and the principle of living for the sake of others.

Sir James will long be remembered as a true Ambassador for Peace. Unbeknown to some, he has received many accolades while participating alongside the civil society organisation “Universal Peace Federation” (UPF) in promoting the principle that we are all one family under God. His “joie de vivre” and one of his favourite songs “ANNOU VIV KONMAN FRER”, bears testimony to his actions.

Members of civil society will always remember him for the time he participated in forums and outings with other volunteers. The many times he visited homes of the elderly alongside other volunteers.

Yes, he was one of us – a volunteer.

The last time he made a contribution towards one of our events was through a challenging message of Peace and Unity which was read in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to mark International Peace Day on September 21, 2016. Sir James was invited to be the guest speaker at the IFL Peace Conference. As part of his reply to the invitation, Mr Mancham stated “The objective of the league to bring about friendship, peace and harmony among the people of the world certainly runs parallel to my own ideas as a committed worker for peace.   I believe the idea of holding a conference in Seychelles on Friday September 23 following the National Assembly election is a great one.  In principle I accept to be the guest speaker on this occasion if I am in Seychelles.” Unfortunately, due to a busy schedule, Mr Mancham was forced to pull out.

Sir James is also known to have worked closely with one of Ceps’ board member, Rosemary Elizabeth, who is the chairperson of the local chapter of the NGO, Universal Peace Federation (UPF - SEYCHELLES). The latter is also an Ambassador for Peace and actually the winner of the first ‘Ceps Volunteer Award 2016’. About five weeks ago the two met and discussed the setting up of a Special Fund to assist children, victims of war-torn countries and suffering around the world. The first assistance was planned to go towards children affected by war in Syria. Since the passing of Sir James, Mrs Elizabeth has expressed that she wants the initiative to continue as a legacy and in memory of Sir James as it was the beginning of the first aid programme coming from a small island nation, going out to people around the world who are not rejoicing in the peace that we enjoy on a daily basis.

A man who travelled around the world to proclaim peace and participate in several peace negotiations; a man who has won several renowned awards, titles recognised by world leaders, Seychellois leaders and the Seychellois people; a man who always thought of what he could do next to help us live in peace and harmony... Such a man is revered. To have lost such a man, is to lose one of our champions.

The civil society sector looks forward to more ambassadors of Peace; ambassadors who will promote the true spirit of respect, love and peace in memory of Sir James.