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Archive - Archive 2004 - July 2013

Teams pledge to make carnival more vibrant |07 February 2013

Teams pledge to make carnival more vibrant

The Brazilian team with Mr St Ange, Mrs Grandcourt and Mrs Onezime yesterday at the airport

The first groups were met at the airport by among others the Minister for Tourism and Culture and Alain St Ange, special advisor for culture Raymonde Onezime and chief executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board Elsia Grandcourt who said all is ready for the carnival, which opens tomorrow.

Among the first groups out of the early morning Emirates flight were the 21 members of Brazil’s Rosas de Ouro (Golden Roses) Samba School, who said they have unique costumes and will offer dances we have not yet seen live.

The group’s leaders, Danniel Okamoto and Tatiana Bozzo, said they first heard about Seychelles last year when we signed a cultural agreement with their country.

“Since then we have come to learn this is a paradise and we have been looking forward to taking part in the event.

“We are really excited to show our culture to the people of Seychelles. We also hope to win with our float which we are going to specially decorate,” they said.

“We are offering the real Brazilian samba which will no doubt amaze everybody.”

Although there were Brazilians at last year’s event, they came in small numbers and among representatives of other countries so this is the first time their nation is involved here.

The group has, however, been in many carnivals, for example in Japan, Guatemala, Peru, El Salvador, Congo and Italy.

Mrs Grandcourt said we are ready for the crowd puller event, noting the quality of the performers arriving is very high.

She told Nation every year the organisers make an effort to make the carnival different and better than the previous one.

“As you’ve seen we have new teams taking part so together with the local groups they will definitely offer something new and different,” she said, calling on all of us to rally behind the event and make it even more memorable than the previous ones.

Also on the flight yesterday were more Italians coming to boost their team that was already here.
An 18-strong team from Southern Korea was expected to arrive later yesterday and so were 25 Indonesians, 20 Chinese, 12 Indians, 10 Rodriguais and 37 Mauritians.

Due in yesterday but expected today are 40 members of the last year’s international category winners Notting Hill along with the 37-strong German’s Dertour group.

The biggest – 60-strong – group from Reunion is due in tomorrow along with 17 Belgians together with 30-strong groups each from Madagascar, Russia and Zimbabwe.

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