Seychelles showcases its culture in Dusseldorf carnival |06 March 2014

Seventeen representatives from Seychelles marched alongside hundreds of joyous German revellers in this year's Rose Monday Carnival Parade in the city of Düsseldorf.

The pageant was watched by over 1.2 million people who had lined the five-kilometre route as well as millions at home in nationwide live telecasts.

This was the first time that a Seychelles delegation takes part in a foreign carnival.

While Germany was celebrating the warming days of a relatively mild winter at temperatures around 5-10 °C, the colourful carnival cultural troupe from Seychelles – comprising representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Air Seychelles, the Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) and the Jj Spirit Foundation – made onlookers dream of the tropics.

Kareen Bistoquet, Lindy Barbé, Mari-Ella De Sylva, Franky Sultan (from the SCAA), Diane Dodin, Ronny Marengo, Geneviève René, Alexander René (from Jj Spirit Foundation), Williana Volcère, Brigitte Esparon, Anja Joseph, James Dorby (from Air Seychelles) and Allen Ernesta (a visual artist) all paraded as the Seychelles delegation just behind the Dusseldorf Carnival Official Prince and Princess Float to fly the Seychelles flag in this highly publicised cultural event. They did their very own dance routine and the colourful costumes from Seychelles depicting birds and flowers stood out among the traditional Dusseldorf carnival floats.

The Seychelles carnival delegation was in Germany at the invitation of Dr Herpens, the president of the Dusseldorf Carnival.

The Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture personally stopped for a day in Dusseldorf on his way to the ITB Tourism Trade Fair in Berlin to be with the Seychelles delegation who was for the first time making the name Seychelles more visible than it already is in Germany through the use of culture and the people of Seychelles.
 
Minister St Ange was joined in the VIP Stand to watch the carnival parade by Rose Marie Hoareau, the director of marketing for the Seychelles Tourism Board; Edith Hunzinger, the Frankfurt-based manager for the Seychelles Tourism Board and Max Hunzinger, Seychelles’ honorary consul in Frankfurt, Germany.  

"The Seychelles carnival delegation did us proud today. They were all smiling and were happy to be helping make their country more visible, and in so doing remaining relevant in the world of tourism. Seychelles took the step a few years ago to include culture and people in its marketing campaigns and this first outing by a Seychelles carnival delegation is the result of this new approach which also saw our islands enter the world of events," the minister said.

"We could not have asked for more. A proud group of Seychellois promoting our islands with their heart. They spoke to hundreds and were photographed by hundreds of thousands. They were beamed to every household of Germany, the country that remains one of our biggest source markets for the Seychelles tourism industry," Minister St Ange said.
Both Mrs Hoareau and Mrs Hunzinger shared the feeling of Minister St Ange.

As a return gesture 36 members of Düsseldorf’s carnival organisations will see their dream come true in late April. While the German carnival time officially ended on Ash Wednesday (yesterday), the lucky ones chosen to represent Germany at this year’s Carnaval International de Victoria will have an extended season. Led by ‘Prince Simon I’ and ‘Princess Rebecca Venetia’, the group will fly on tickets sponsored by Etihad Airways and Air Seychelles from their beautiful city in the picturesque Rhine Valley to Mahé to join the 2014 carnival in the tropics. The delegation will include musicians from the ‘Swinging Funfares’ group and dancers from the ‘Carnival Friends of the Catholic Youth’.

Addressing a gathering during the Dusseldorf’s carnival’s after-party, Minister St Ange thanked the President of the Dusseldorf Carnival, Dr Herpens, for inviting Seychelles to the German city and for hosting the Seychelles delegation.

“We thank you all for having taken care of our seventeen young ambassadors as they were making Seychelles more visible through this cultural exchange. We saw them from the VIP Box and I must say that we felt proud. Thank you Dusseldorf for a great carnival 2014. We shall see some of you in Seychelles soon for our very own carnival," said Minister St Ange.

Two years ago, a similar group from Düsseldorf joined the Seychelles carnival, whereas in 2011 and 2013, the local dates coincided with their very own carnival at home and prevented the Germans from attending.

Carnival — or Karneval, as it is spelled in German — has a tradition in Düsseldorf that dates back at least 650 years. Several carnival organisations join forces every year to assemble a Rose Monday Parade five kilometres long that includes about 60 themed floats and hundreds of revellers on foot, including marching bands. The main goal is to spread fun, mock the authorities and current events. Many of the parades are televised live on local channels, and the three largest ones — including Düsseldorf’s — are also covered on national TV, where they attract millions of viewers every year.