Seychelles Culture
There is no indigenous culture in the Seychelles as such, but
aspects of African origin have survived. The government has
formed the National School of Music and the National Cultural
Troupe to foster a cultural identity and tradition. You'll glimpse
aspects of it by eating the delicious, seafood-heavy cuisine,
dancing the moutia or seeking out a love potion.
The Seychelles is the best of all the Indian Ocean islands
for Créole cuisine. Fish and rice are the staple foods,
but rice takes a back seat while more imaginative use is made
of fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices. The range of fish
and seafood available is huge and you'll probably be able
to try shark, barracuda, kingfish, octopus, squid, jack fish,
red snapper, cordonnier, parrot fish and grouper. Other Créole
dishes standard to the region are the daube, a sweet sauce
or stew; rougaille, a tomato-based sauce used with fish, sausages
or as a side dish; carii coco, a mild meat or fish curry with
coconut cream; fish marinaded in lemon; and brèdes,
a local variety of spinach.
Seychellois music is a blend of Indian, European, Chinese
and Arabic - accordions, banjos and violins blend with the
makalapo, a stringed instrument, the zez, a sitar, African
skin drums and the bom, a bowed instrument.
The sombre moutia is the typical dance of the Seychelles,
with strong African and Malagasy rhythms. The songs are prayers
which the slaves turned into work chants, and they're accompanied
by slow, repetitive dance routines. The moutia is one of those
participatory affairs, where everyone has to get up and join
in.
|
