Seychellois and tourists join the fun at the Festival of the Sea

The annual SUBIOS Festival of the Seas is taking place at the Beau Vallon Promenade in Seychelles and the Official Ceremony had attracted a large number of Seychellois and tourists. In an atmosphere of “fun fair,” the festival, which is well on its 20th year, remains true to its mission as an event with an educational angle aimed at keeping the Seychellois nation and all visitors to Seychelles aware of the importance of the ocean surrounding the Seychelles.

Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture, in the presence of a large contingent of local and international press, officially declared the event open. Sherin Naiken, CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board, had the honor of welcoming everyone to the Opening Ceremony of the 2013 SUBIOS, the Seychelles Festival of the Sea. Mrs. Naiken said that the festival remained an important event of the calendar of national events of the islands and that she wanted to ensure that this important festival continues to grow from strength to strength.

Seychelles Minister St.Ange said when he took to the podium that this event gives Seychelles the unique chance to reflect on the significance of our marine heritage, and also on the importance of our surrounding ocean in our daily lives.

Minister St.Ange continued by saying: “In this super-interconnected world of today where happenings on the other side of the planet can, and do, have an impact upon us, SUBIOS, our Festival of the Sea, I hope this will once again serve to remind us that we are the custodians of our children’s future, and of their chance to prosper.

“While the effects of global warming and of climate change in general pose a very real threat to our world and the way we live, we must also ensure that our own practices, and the way we live our lives, do all that they can to mitigate this and to pave the way for the sustainability which is the key to our being able to continue doing tomorrow what we are doing today.

“This is not a unique responsibility of government, although government may take the lead and identify the direction that needs to be taken. This is the responsibility of each and every one of us to ensure that we are careful consumers of our resources which are in no way finite, and that we treat ‘Mother Earth’ gently and with great respect.

“Today at the opening of the 2013 SUBIOS, the Seychelles Festival of the Sea, we are pleased to announce that the Seychelles Tourism Board is planning to celebrate our ocean with a new book on the Seychelles underwater world. This coffee table book will be titled ‘Seychelles Unexpected Treasures.’ All the pictures are by the renowned Nikon photographer, Imran Ahmad, who has come to know and love our waters and the many wonders beneath our waves. This work that he is actively engaged in as we speak in collaboration with the Seychelles Tourism Board, will include extraordinary images of our underwater world and will greatly raise our profile as a diving destination. We would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to Imran for making available his personal pictures that have all been taken in Seychelles.

“To conclude, I ask you, each one of you – man, woman, and child – to use this SUBIOS, our Seychelles Festival of the Sea, as a moment to reflect upon the role that you can play to protect our nature and our ecosystems upon which our very livelihood depends.”

The address by Minister Alain St.Ange was followed by a film produced by local diver Elizabeth Fideria entitled “A Paradise Surviving,” which was followed by a video presentation by Dr. Sarah Torres on coral reef restoration and an underwater slide show by Imran Ahmad.

A dance show choreographed by Ruth Louise, a song by Joe Samy, and music by local group Berno Cedras followed.

The festival will end on Sunday, November 24.

Seychelles is a founding member of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) .