Follow us on:

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube

Domestic

Exclusive, pre-launch interview with the founder of Cosmocreole magazine |24 July 2020

Exclusive, pre-launch interview with the founder of Cosmocreole magazine

Cosmocreole will connect Seychelles and its diaspora’

Cosmocreole – a new, online lifestyle magazine dedicated to Seychellois women and those living overseas with a special connection to our islands, will go live for the very first time on July 30, 2020.

Ahead of this exciting launch, Seychelles NATION, in an exclusive interview, has obtained everything that our excited readers will want to know from the founder and editor in chief – Jeannine Gilbert-Finnigan.

 

Seychelles NATION: Cosmocreole is set to become one of the latest buzzwords in Seychelles, tell us about it.

 

Jeannine Gilbert-Finnigan: Cosmocreole is going to be an online magazine dedicated to Seychellois women and women around the world with a connection to Seychelles.

We hope to be served as an online resource for women and our mission is to offer a regular supply of articles, features and inspiration, primarily (but not exclusively) for Seychellois women.

Cosmocreole will feature news, information and inspirational stories relating to fashion, health and beauty, travel, finance and lifestyle; with an appreciation for the Seychelles, culture and personal experience. It will provide insight into a diverse range of issues that truly resonate with the modern woman in Seychelles and beyond.

We aim to showcase the content from a ‘Seychellois’ point of view from all corners of the world. The magazine will celebrate the achievements of women in Seychelles and beyond. 

It will connect Seychelles and its diaspora. We will connect our readers by sharing relatable articles and features to inspire positive living.

We hope that the stories we will share will empower, inspire and celebrate the Seychellois woman’s diverse accomplishments globally.

 

Seychelles NATION: Explain to us the meaning behind the name Cosmocreole?

 

Jeannine Gilbert-Finnigan: Cosmo relates to the world or universe. Cosmopolitan is defined as a person who is at ease/home all over the world. Creole is a person of mixed European and black/other descendent. Creole is also our mother tongue.

A Cosmocreole reader is a person who feels at home wherever she is in the world but has that connection to Seychelles.

 

Seychelles NATION: Will the magazine be similar to other well-known lifestyle magazines such as Cosmopolitan?

 

Jeannine Gilbert-Finnigan:Yes and no; we will endeavour to make the magazine about Seychellois and accessible and relevant to them. Say for example if we are writing an article about sunscreens and we are recommending products, we will make sure that it is not only the readers overseas who can purchase these products, as we will cater for our Seychelles readers as well. We will research what products are out there on the market.

 

Seychelles NATION: Will the magazine be accessible by subscription only or available to everyone? 

 

Jeannine Gilbert-Finnigan:To start, anyone can get access to all the articles, giveaways and competitions. In the future, we do plan to introduce a service where members can get access to premium content, free downloadable such as courses, guides, exclusive newsletter and competitions/giveaways. We will still have some free access content. We are also working on a mentoring programme for young aspiring writers.

 

Seychelles NATION: Can you tell us about the people involved in creating Cosmocreole?

 

Jeannine Gilbert-Finnigan: We are all women and professionals in our own fields. We have journalists (articles/features); a beauty specialist (Beauty Editor); clinical psychologist (mental health and well-being, relationship/family matters); and a specialist in yoga and mindfulness.

To note, anyone who likes to write or has a story to tell can contact us with their pitch. The editors will look through it and will decide if it is a fit for the magazine.


Seychelles NATION: What inspired the decision to launch and publish the magazine? 

 

Jeannine Gilbert-Finnigan:I've always loved writing and was a regular contributor to POTPOURRI – a now defunct lifestyle magazine in Seychelles. People keep saying they miss having relatable content; it’s fine reading other magazines but when the content is close to home or you have a certain connection, it makes it more relatable. I thought there is no such magazine with Seychelles women at heart, so create one. I have been thinking about it for a couple of years but when the pandemic happened and I was in total lockdown, it gave me more thinking time and a vision of what I really want to achieve.


Profile: Jeannine Gilbert-Finnigan – Founder and Editor in Chief

 

Born and raised in Seychelles, Jeannine graduated with degrees in Creative writing, Languages and Culture, a post-graduate Certificate in Media Production, a Master in Communications Studies and is a qualified Further Education Lecturer in Media and Film Studies.

She has spent most part of her life reading, writing, studying and raising her two children with her husband. She moved to the United Kingdom 18 years ago, after working in broadcasting and public relation in Seychelles for a number of years. In the United Kingdom she trained as a lecturer and started her career in the education sector teaching media, communications and film studies.

When it came to writing, Jeannine had endless dreams but no idea where to begin until she started a personal blog a few years ago, still unsure of what direction her writing would lead her, the blog became a space for her random writing. She started contributing articles to publications both in Seychelles and United Kingdom whilst doing a degree in Creative Writing.

Jeannine had a burning desire to create a magazine for a long time and finally last year she started working on the project.  When the pandemic hit the United Kingdom, the lockdown gave her valuable time to work on the project alongside teaching remotely.

Jeannine’s ambition for cosmocreole.com is for it to be that go-to online platform for Seychellois everywhere, where they can recognise themselves, their experiences and be inspired by others. Seychellois around the world are doing great things so she wants to showcase those talents alongside other regular contents such as health, beauty, culture, travel, cooking and many more.

 

Instagram @cosmocreole

Facebook @cosmocreole

E-mail: contact@cosmocreole.com

More news