Seychelles celebrates National Day 2008 in Brussels and Luxembourg

All photos, courtesy of Alec Singh.


Seychelles Embassy in Brussels celebrated National Day with a difference this year, first in Brussels and then in Luxembourg.

On the day itself Seychellois nationals and foreign guests from EU institutions and Member States, as well as from Belgium and the ACP Group, met at the B52, a prestigious location in the heart of Brussels. Guests were splashed with an art exhibition which came all the way from Seychelles and Creole food blended in Belgian cuisine under the skilled hands of Christelle Verheyden, Gastronomist and owner of B52.

Emanuel d’Offay, CEO of the National Arts Council (NAC), was personally present to introduce our guests to the Seychellois artists who had with the assistance of NAC, the Embassy of Seychelles in Brussels, ISPC and Mr. Alfred-Alain Foucroy, the main sponsors of the evening, contributed to the forty work pieces that adorned the walls of B52. Thus, under the theme of “Seychelles: The Contemporary Art Environment”, our guests would have another taste of Seychelles other than the idyllic sun, sands, sea and lush vegetation, through the eyes, minds and diverse techniques of Emmanuel himself, Nigel Henry, Egbert Marde, Georges Camille, Alain Ernesta, Jude Ally, Colbert Nourice, Alain Samson and, of course, Christine Chetty.

The main highlight of the event was when Ambassador Barry Faure, presented on behalf of Government, a painting by Nigel Henry to the ACP Group represented by H.E. Ambassador Moussa, President of the ACP Committee of Ambassadors and Sir John Kaputin, the Secretary General.

The second event took place at the Cercle Münster, in prestigious surroundings in the old part of Luxembourg. The event attracted guests from all levels of society from the Court of the Grand-Duke of Luxembourg to Government, the Legislature, the European Parliament and other EU institutions as well as the private sector. No other than the President of the Club, Maitre André Schwachtgen, also Seychelles Honorary Consul in Luxembourg, opened the event. On the eve of the National Day of Luxembourg as well as the anniversary of the Grand Duke, Ambassador Faure invited guests to join him to make a toast to the health of the Grand Duke and to long life to the excellent relations between Luxembourg and Seychelles.

This evening was the first time the National Day had actually been celebrated in Luxembourg and in honour of the event our guests were treated to the best of Cercle Münster’s cuisine, which, like at the B52, dazzled us with their Creole talents. Again, like in Brussels, the work of our artists “Seychelles: The Contemporary Art Environment” was displayed by the National Arts Council.

Ambassador Faure, speaking on behalf of the President at both events, took the opportunity to inform guests that a Symposium to review the Constitution of Seychelles in light of developments in the international context, was planned to take place in the last quarter of the year in Brussels in line with the year’s theme: “Our Constitution; The Voice of our Nation”.

These two events would not have been possible without the collaboration of a number of persons and agencies and our Embassy staff would like to record their appreciation by naming them here:

Brussels:

Our Honorary Consul General in Belgium, Mr. Philippe de Baets, Mr. Alfred-Alain Foucroy and ISPC, Ms. Christelle Verhaygen of B52, Managing Director of ISPC Seychelles, Mr. Xavier Heinen, also Honorary Consul for Belgium in Seychelles, Air Seychelles, Mr. Philos Emond, Mr. Jacques Matombe, and Messrs. Radley Webber and Joe Tirant of Oceana Fisheries.

Luxembourg:

Our Honorary Consul in Luxembourg, Maitre André Schwachtgen, and the Association Amitiés Luxembourg-Seychelles.