Capital: Victoria
Population: 94,677 (2016)
Official Language Spoken: Seychelles Creole (Seselwa), English and French
 Religion: Christianity, Islam, Bahai and Hinduism

COLONIAL PERIOD 

1502- Vasco Da Gama sailed from India to Africa at his arrival, he named the islands after himself, Les Amirantes (Admiral Islands). He is credited for discovering the island because none of the colored folks within distance ever dared to visit. I mean Seychelles is a hop and skip from two continents, but it took a European to “discover” this Island.

               ESTIMATED SHIP ARRIVALS TO SEYCHELLES

10 days from India
10 days from Saudi Arabia
4 days from Kenya
23 days from Portugal

I find it hard to believe that no one from these spaces “discovered” the island. In the late 1700s, the French colonized Seychelles and will name the island in honor of Viscount Jean Moreau de Sechelles (Minister of Finance, 1727 to 1743).

As our other stories with "Empire" and Africa spaces go, there was a struggle from the French, British, Dutch, Arabs, and the Italians. They stopped by the island for precious stones, spices, and slaves. Similarly, to the early stories of Australia, Seychelles was used as a place to hold prisoners or exiles by the British.

Oddly enough, Seychelles keeps Somalian prisoners and it is all funded by the United Nations.

THE CASE OF NUTS AND NEUROTIC SAILORS

We discussed country branding last year, with the Sega Branding of Mauritius

What is the Creole Brand ? 

BLUE ECONOMICS & SUSTAINABILITY

BLUE ECONOMICS IN 2014

the outcome  IN 2016 (BRANDING ASSET #1)

SUSTAINABILITY IN POLICY AND IN PRACTICE (ASSET #2)

The country has also taking a proactive approach instead of a reactive approach to dealing with sustainability and the blue economy of the country. Read below to understand more on the Seychelles Blue Economy Strategic Roadmap.

VISA RELATIONSHIP WITH THE REGION & power of passport? (BRANDING ASSET 3-4)

Country Branding done the right way “CAN” lead a country to the path of Soft Power. Remember, you can have a brand that is “sellable” but have no soft power. Despite the word SOFT, it is not easy to craft or apply into foreign policy. 

The Maldives has a recognizable brand, spectacular views that really are “The sunny side of life” but struggle with poverty and health care.

The Republic of Seychelles was first to scrap visa requirements for other African nations, despite the feelings not been mutual. In return, the country now has the most powerful African passport. The Seychelles passport ranks number 1 in the continent, 26 globally with a total of 141 accessible countries.

THE PEOPLE MUST BE CONSIDERED IN THE BRAND? (problem#1)

COUNTRY CARRIER AND TOURISM (ASSET #5) 

We have discussed the importance of a country having a reliable safe country carrier. Air Seychelle might be a small airline but enjoys six major code share partnership agreements with Alitalia, Jet Airways, Air Serbia, Air France, South African Airways, and Etihad Airways that owns 40% of the airline. Tourist can also enjoy authentic creole music on board. Your airline is supposed to celebrate and sell your country brand but with your culture constantly on the background.

CREOLE CULTURE
 

FOOD CULTURE

The traditional meal for the country is this delicious fruit bat. It can be served as a warm curry, stir fried or in coconut milk. 

SEGGAE MUSIC
 

This is a blend of reggae and sega, very popular with African Island countries. 

WE SHALL LEAVE YOU WITH THIS....

See you next Cassava Tuesday!