Vendors put emphasis on variety in Independence Day bazaar |04 July 2022

The Enterprise Seychelles Agency (Esa) in collaboration with the Independence Day organising committee organised a full day bazaar along the Independence Avenue, Freedom Square car park and at the Camion Hall on Saturday July 2.

The bazaar started at 8am and ended at 5pm after which the vendors’ had to clear the road before 6pm for resumption of traffic. The bazaar had vendors from all over the islands who simply had to register beforehand.

The vendors were selling various items such as food, fruits and vegetables, plants, wood works, souvenirs, books, clothes and local made products such as honey, jams, tamarind and more.

The chief executive of Esa, Angelique Appoo, noted that there was approximately fifty businesses operating at the bazaar that day and held a variety of businesses that are licensable and non-licensable as well.

“We ensured that we placed emphasis on variety in terms of what was being sold, food, drinks (non-alcoholic), horticulture, agriculture, local products and even boutiques,” said the CEO.

She added that turn-out was good and that there was entertainment on all sides.

The National History museum was also selling their products and Jennifer William, who was manning the booth, noted that the turn-out was better than expected and that she thought people would not show up much as the sky was overcast.

She added that they sold quite a bit of their products such as vases, shirts, hats and cards that are Independence Day souvenirs.

The Cable and Wireless booth stood out from the morning itself with many people gathered and waiting their turn to take a chance at winning a prize from the telecom company. Bella Rogers, the public relations (PR) officer at Cable Wireless, stated that they appreciated that the public in general turned up to support them in terms of the national day bazaar.

“When we got the call, we were ready to participate,” said the PR. The booth attracted many people including visitors as the booth was hosting a ‘lucky dip’ which has no blank papers thus everyone who participated went home with a prize. The prizes varied from umbrellas, bottles, Rubik’s cubes, phones and tablets. The company booth was such a success that by lunchtime they ran out of items and the stall had to close early.

Zarah Ally, the managing director of ZBEST compost and manure and her team was also present to sell their product. She stated that many people were interested in the product they had on offer, such as manure, compost, lettuce and local compote.

She noted that many of her existing clients knew they would be in town and they passed by to purchase some items. ZBEST also had deliveries on offer for those who bought their products. The MD noted that they expected all their products to be sold by the end of the day.

Compost and manure aside, close by Nichol Anthony held down his booth with an assortment of plants ranging from fruits, spices, flowers and more. For his part he added that since it was still early in the morning business was a tad slow but he expected later in the day to be better. He added that he had sold some items and that people had many options at his stall.

Local honey, a hot commodity on the local market, was also available at the Independence Day bazaar. Gilbert Gendron who was manning the stall stated that they were selling honey and ‘lasir’. ‘Lasir’ is also a byproduct of honey bees which can be used as hair product, face cream, candle and more. The product attracted quite a few people who were interested in what it was.

A booth which caught the attention of many people was the SSPCA booth which held a wide range of items from books to clothes. Jimmy Marie who manned the stall with his team stated that they were selling second hand items that are still in great condition or have never been used. These items were being sold at very low prices such as books for SR25. He noted that they were selling at a low price as a charity organisation to be able to obtain some revenue to put back in the organisation which aids all types of injured, abandoned or disposed animals. He stated that the turnout was pretty good however compared to before Covid there is a huge gap in how people are spending.

The Independence Day bazaar ended at five in the evening and the vendors had an hour to vacate the areas for traffic and normal operations to resume around six.

This was later followed by performances by a band and ‘moutya’ infront of the museum which went on throughout the night.

The accompanying photos show some highlights of the Independence Day bazaar.

Marla Simeon