Students enhance their knowledge of Venn’s Town Mission Ruins |25 May 2018

Primary and secondary students gathered yesterday morning at the Venn’s Town Mission Ruins at Sans Soucis to learn more about the place that offered shelter to hundreds of liberated African slaves.

They did so through a workshop organised by the Seychelles Heritage Foundation (SHF) as part of activities to commemorate Africa Day - FetAfrik.

The workshop was held under the theme ‘The Liberated Slave’s Children Sanctuary’.

The students visited the ruins of Venn’s Town where the African slaves’ children stayed.

The outdoor activity was also aimed at encouraging the students to learn more about the history of Seychelles and to promote both the natural and cultural heritage in educational and learning organisations.

The site of Venn's Town at the Mission Ruins was set up by Henry Vence, a church missionary, in the late 19th century with the role of  taking care of children abandoned in Seychelles after the abolition of slavery. Children were taught Bible studies and some useful skills, such as tending to coffee and vanilla plantations. They were free to leave the institution upon turning 16.

Today, Seychelles considers Venn’s Town to be one of its most important cultural sites, and is visited daily by tourists who stop over on island day tours organised by different destination management companies.

Apart from touring the ruins, visitors also have a great opportunity to take souvenir photographs of the breathtaking and panoramic view of Mahé’s western and southern coastline from the Mission Lodge, a viewpoint officially inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Seychelles in March 1972.

SHF’s senior education and information officer, Egla Laudelout-Rose, stated that the Mission Ruins at Venn’s Town is such an important heritage in our history and there is a great need for this to be known and taught to our younger generation.

“The aim of bringing our children here is to empower them with the historical knowledge of the Mission Ruins of Venn's Town, which has played an important role in our history. The students need to learn more about the raison d’être of Venn’s Town. In addition to this, our vision is for each school to have a heritage club by the year 2020,” she said.

The students were taken on a  guided tour of Venn’s Town by SHF’s senior project manager, Cindy Moka, where they learned more about the historical site and asked questions to enhance their knowledge.

At the end of the workshop, the students formed groups to draw and compose poems on the theme, which will later be documented at the SHF.