It was 45 years ago … |30 June 2021
Seychelles was among the last colonies of the British Empire to claim its nationhood. On behalf of the National Museum of History TONY MATHIOT recalls the greatest milestone in our history…
The night we became a nation there were fireworks and jubilation. The new stadium (Stad Popiler) was filled to capacity with folks from all the districts. Some tourists who were spending their holidays in Seychelles had also come to witness history. 37-year-old President James Mancham (1939-2017) and his 40-year-old Prime Minister France Albert René (1935-2019) with Governor Collin Hamilton Allen (1921-1993) in the middle saluted the Republican flag of Seychelles as the new national anthem ‘An Avant’ was sung. It was Tuesday June 29, 1976.
In his autobiography Paradise Raped, President James Mancham later wrote that in “just a second I had left the role of Prime Minister in a colony and became President of an Independent Republic…Seychelles was alone in a world of conflict and pressure”. Both James Mancham and France Albert René were nostalgically familiar with the tune of ‘An Avant’ as the tune of the anthem of their alma mater, Seychelles College. It was called ‘Up and On’ and the words encouraged students to strive for academic excellence and to bring glory to their school. ‘An Avant’ called for nation-building and patriotic devotion towards the Republic.
The Catholic bishop, Mgr. Felix Paul (1935-2001) and the Anglican bishop Mgr. George Briggs (1910-2004) gave their blessings to the new Republic.
Both the President and the Prime Minister must have been acutely aware that they were protagonists in a watershed that resulted from a decade of political turmoil, antagonistic accusations and acrimonious recriminations between their respective parties – Mancham’s Seychelles Democratic Party (SDP) and René’s Seychelles People’s United Party (SPUP). In the candid sanctuary of their own judgment, both men knew that that 29th day of June 1976, Seychelles had arrived at the threshold of uncharted waters. They made short speeches in English, French and Creole.
The next morning, the Independence ceremony took a more solemn aspect. President James Mancham and Prime Minister France Albert Rene took their oaths of office and were sworn in by J.A. O’Brien Quinn, the Attorney General. The Duke of Gloucester who was representing Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II handed the Instruments of Independence to President James Mancham and the crowd applauded. It’s been often commented upon that on that momentous day, the mood of the people was noticeably phlegmatic, that their reaction to such historical proceedings was anemic. L’Echo des Iles, the Organ of the Catholic Church wrote: ‘La foule attentive mais peu souriante’. When asked about this by French journalist Patrick Poivre D’Arvor, Prime Minister France Albert René replied: ‘Natives of the Seychelles are not particularly extrovert. During the worst periods of political war, this attitude was already predominant. The people are not spontaneous. Mauritians, our neighbours, have quite different reactions’. Indeed. But couldn’t it have been because ‘the people’ had not yet grasped the full implications of Seychelles as a Republic? Or perhaps because they were confused and bewildered? After all, the crowd consisted of supporters of both political parties, SDP and SPUP, which had, until 1975 constituted the political dichotomy in Seychelles with SPUP clamoring for independence from Great Britain and SDP vehemently opposing it. That their leaders had agreed on good terms to form a coalition government did not necessarily mean that their polarized differences had been healed. So independence must have been a shameful contradiction to a substantial fraction of the population. It did not seem to matter that the Independence Flag had a stark resemblance to the Union Jack! In his inaugural speech, President James Mancham stated: “Today we start on the great adventure of building the Seychellois nation.” Independence celebrations went on for a week with a programme of activities that encompassed cultural shows, sports competition, a bicycle race, a beauty pageant, a carnival and an agricultural exhibition. The Republic reverberated with national gaiety. The New Wreckers sang the tearful ‘Aurevoir Union Jack ou ale’ and 24-year-old Patrick Victor sang ‘La nou pe vin en nasyon’. At that time, Seychelles was an acquaintance of the richest man on the planet, Adnan Khashoggi (1935-2017) Saudi Arabian businessman who paid $80,000 to French vogue to cover the Independence Celebrations with a special edition. Therefore, Robert Caillé, the director of vogue was among the distinguished guests who came to attend our Independence Celebrations. Khashoggi had planned to build a 400-bed tourist establishment in Seychelles, complete cinema and nightclub.
The Seychellois was thrilled to handle their newly-minted coins and crisp bank notes. Seychelles Bulletin became Nation. When French journalist Patrick Poivre D’Arvor asked President James Mancham: ‘On what are you hoping to base the country’s prosperity which, in French eyes, appears to be nothing more than a sprinkling of isles’? his reply was characteristically elaborate: ‘Of course, our economy will be agricultural, the fishing industry has immense potential. Thereafter tourism. We have become an important air crossroads since our airport’s opening several years ago. Direct flights link us with France, Great Britain, Kenya, South Africa, India, Japan, the Persian Gulf etc…This factor is a great boon in view of the diversity of tourist attractions offered by the Isles and of its own people’.
On that sweltering morning of Tuesday June 29, 1976 as he sat there under that white marquee canopy, flanked by His Grace the Duke of Gloucester, Prince Richard on his right and the Duchess of Gloucester, Brigitte Eva Van Deurs Henricksen on his left, with Prime Minister France Albert Rene on the left of Her Grace, listening to Governor Collin Hamilton Allan deliver his valedictory speech, President James Mancham must have been reminiscing about the events that finally led to the birth of the Seychellois nation… On August 12, 1963, the day after his 24th birthday he was sworn in as the elected member of the Legislative Council for Victoria and outlying islands. Three years later, his political nemesis, France Albert Rene was elected in the Legislative Council for Praslin and La Digue after having won in a bye election. In 1967, there was the first Elections according to a constitution of Universal Adult Suffrage which allowed persons 21 years and above to vote. Both leaders took turns to organise rallies and meetings on Gordon Square inciting their respective supporters to frenzied levels of ideological sentiments. Both SDP’s Seychelles Weekly and SPUP’s People carried scathing criticism of each other’s party. The main issue that fuelled this political polarity was SPUP’s pro-independence vs SDP’s anti-Independence. The Governor, by all means could not be the mediator between the two parties! In 1970, a first Constitutional Conference was held in London to formulate a new Constitution which provided for an 18-member Legislative Assembly and an Advisory Council of Ministers. Governor Bruce Greatbatch (1917-1989) officially led the Seychelles delegation. In the elections which followed after, SDP won 10 seats and SPUP won 5 seats, James Mancham was appointed the first Chief Minister of Seychelles. During 1970, resolutions were passed in the United Nations Council calling for Great Britain to grant Seychelles independence. The colonialism committee at the U.N was chaired by a former Tanzanian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Salim Amed Salim who was closely linked with the Liberation Committee of the OAU which had already recognised the SPUP as a Liberation Group in 1973. This meant that although SDP had gained more power in the Legislative Council, the likelihood that SPUP’s hope of Seychelles attaining its Independence would prevail was a foregone conclusion – so James Mancham knew that his stubborn opposition to Independence was futile and detrimental to his own party. In the General Elections of April 24, 1974, SDP won 13 seats and SPUP won 2 seats. A few weeks later, as he stated in his autobiography Global Citizen “At the first public meeting of the new Assembly, I proposed a motion calling on Her Majesty’s Government to convene a constitutional conference in order to produce a programme leading to Independence.” In March 1975, a second Constitutional Conference was held in London under the chairmanship of Joan Lester (1931-1998) Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. There were 12 delegates representing SDP and 10 for the SPUP. In June of that same year, SDP and SPUP formed a coalition government. In September, Seychelles became a self-governing Colony. On October 1, 1975, James Mancham was sworn in as Prime Minister. His investiture took place right there in the new stadium with a crowd of thousands applauding. Seychelles braced itself for the impending change. There was nationwide anticipation. The nation was awaiting expectantly. Speculations and rumours were rife. Mauritius, of which Seychelles had been ruled as a Dependency until 1903, had gone through more or less the same procedures in order for it to attain its Independence on March 12, 1968. Pro-Independence parties attended Constitutional Conference in 1965 at Lancaster House in London in 1965.
In January of 1976, a third Constitutional Conference was held. It was attended by Governor Hamilton Allan (1921-1993). This last Conference was chaired by Edwin Rowlands, Parliamentary Undersecretary of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. It was unanimously agreed that James Mancham, having won most votes in all the elections would become President of the Republic of Seychelles and that Presidential Elections would be held on June 6, 1979. Provision was made for the office of an elected President, to be assumed on Independence Day by the Prime Minister appointed under the Seychelles Interim Constitution of 1975 and in office when the Independence Constitution came into force.
The SDP manifesto had stated explicitly that “the SDP with its love for democracy and its hatred for dictatorship will offer the most stable leadership”. Don’t be surprised but the manifesto was offering ‘a democratic Seychelles socialist Society’. In his foreword to the Seychelles Handbook 1976, James Mancham wrote: ‘Our population, a derivation of many ethnic origins, forms a multi-racial society that the whole world should envy. In the heart of the Indian Ocean, we want Seychelles to be a haven of peace and beauty…’ Forty-five years later, those idealistic words endure.
After the investiture ceremony, President James Mancham signed bilateral agreements of co-orperation with foreign dignitaries. Most heads of state sent their representatives. Valery Giscard D’Estaing (1927-2020) was represented by the Minister for co-orperation, Jean Nöel de Lipkowski (1920-1997) who pledged his country’s support for our new Republic. On that day Seychelles was admitted as a member of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) whose chairman was Idi Amin Dada (1925-2003), the President of Uganda, who was then notorious for having committed atrocities against his people. On September 1, 1976 Seychelles became the 145th member of the United Nations.
The year 1976 was a year of turmoil, triumph and turbulence: there was the Soweto uprising in South Africa and widespread anti-apartheid riots in various black townships. President Isabel Peron (1931-) was removed from power in a military coup which installed the dictatorship of Jorge Rafael Videla Redondo (1925-2013). The first Apple Computer was released. North and South Vietnam reunified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam with Hanoi as capital. French writer Andre Malraux passed away at 75 years old. British writer of crime novels, Agatha Christie passed away at 85 years old. Chairman Mao Tse-Tung passed away at 82 years. In March, Seychelles received news of the death of one of our most esteemed Governors, Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke who was 82 years. He was Governor of Seychelles from 1947 to 1951.
On the day Seychelles became a Republic, the population was just above 58,000 and the country was earning most of its revenue from an agricultural economy. The year before copra and cinnamon bark had made up 90% of all the domestic exports of Seychelles bringing a total amount of R10mn. Tourism was progressing rapidly with some 37,000 arrivals. For the year 1975 among which 5,189 were cruise ship passengers. As with most erstwhile British Colonies, Seychelles was in the midst of gradual development which had been initiated by the colonial government.
On the eve of its independence, Seychelles had requested the return of three of its outlying islands – Farquhar, Aldabra and Desroches – which Great Britain had detached to form the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) together with Diego Garcia in 1965. Under the terms of the Independence Agreement, the British government granted Seychelles Capital Aid worth £10mn and budgetary assistance amounting to£1mn over four years after independence. In addition there would be £10mnof Capital Aid on soft loan terms and technical assistance of £750,000 per year. Evidently, our former Colonialists wanted to see us off on a good start. However, there was no Defense Treaty. Assistance with internal security was promised, the setting up of a Para-military unit, modernising the Police Force and an Intelligence section but this was never materialised. As for our last Governor, Collin Hamilton Allan, he was appointed Governor of the Solomon Islands until 1978 when this archipelago of hundreds of islands became a Republic. He died in 1993, the year that Seychelles got its new and 7th Constitution in its history.
