When culture and history is erased |18 August 2022
When culture and history is erased, then people’s morals and principals get erased too.
UCPS and PUC are two enterprises that can be held in high regard, the first provides a great hollow concrete building block being produced to very accurate specifications; making it great for laying, just one among its many quality products. The second has provided the population with a reliable water and electricity supply since the mid 1980s. This is just some recent history concerning Seychelles development.
However, the current administration understands only too well that the most compelling way of destroying our people and their rights, is to revoke and eliminate their very own understanding of the good old days. Which was clearly demonstrated by TRNUC’s mandate to focus solely on the 1977 Coup d’Etat; where ‘truth’ ranged from the objective to the subliminal. While what the people and the country urgently required at the time was a wise road map out of a multifaceted crisis, all we got instead were the recent street names changes in LDS blue. Which is a slap in the face to all those that fought for our basic rights and freedom, only to get tear gassed in the process.
The exterior colonialists ensured that the people remained in poverty and ignorance; while irreconcilably imposing respect as a due, rather than a quality to be earned. Interior colonialism is again today alarmingly prevalent; symbolized by the reoccurrence of poverty and the poor education nationally.
This is a colonialism that unfortunately has attempted to elevate itself by denigrating Albert Rene, the father of Seychelles who had the vision to wisely develop and lead this fine country. Having recognized early on that we would need a highly trained workforce with the NYS being the keystone to this. Only to be later replaced with NYD (Nations Youth on Drugs) hellbent on the democratic road to ruin.
There is an interesting historical parallel here between Sir Eustache Fiennes and President Albert Rene; for while the former had to deal with the fallout of war, the latter had to deal with the aftermath of colonialism. For both, the consequential effects of unemployment, poverty and many social hardships had to be dealt with; characterized by vision, firmness of leadership and compassion.
While the systematic and selective rewriting of our history is considered untrustworthy, to see it buried under concrete is quite another! And this is precisely what happened on the Fiennes Esplanade recently, which was constructed over 100 years ago in 1918-19. For lately PUC required that existing pipework be elevated; in doing so they encased handcrafted coral/limestone blocks in concrete. So that, just in a matter of hours shuttered concrete encased and obliterated part of our history; which had been part of our heritage for over a century.
Whilst a golden opportunity had presented itself with re-using the artisanal coral blocks as a cultural show element, together with utilizing the 18mm shuttering for creating moulds and casting small pillars in the Fiennes existing form. For the express purpose of creating an imaginative bridge (with PUC service access) and an essential pedestrian crossing opposite the Moloko Restaurant alley, near to the mosque. A challenging and rewarding project which the talented PUC crew are clearly quite able to achieve.
There is also an argument here for re introducing lime kilns with moderate coral extraction; in order to produce lime for mortar joints and reconstituted limestone blocks, particularly for restoration projects. Many authoritative masons will confirm the superior qualities of working with lime compared to cement, this together with the price hike of cement in the last 18 months of 165% could well make it a viable product to be produced nationally on a far greater scale.
Another surplus material abundantly available here in Seychelles is red earth, which is great for rendering the outside of buildings. With a ‘scratch coat’ and ‘finish coat’ it is weatherproof, very attractive and does not require exterior masonry paint.
This is a win win product too for rendering all those unsightly concrete block water supply valves boxes in the Morne Seychellois National Park, together with the concrete block wall at the entrance to the Copolia Trail. All of which can artistically depict the various tropical flora and fauna; Seychelles flora often being ideal for imprinting onto the finish coat and tinted with cement colorants. The ‘magic’ ingredient here in the mix being a drop of washing up liquid in a bucket of water, which then makes rendering easy-peasy and a pleasure.
James Warren Des RCA
Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this pice are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Seychelles NATION newspaper.
