Seychelles National Archives launch website on 60th anniversary

An exhibition portraying the archives’ journey entitled ‘The 60 years’ existence of the Seychelles National Archives’. (Seychelles Nation)

(Seychelles News Agency) - The Seychelles National Archives (SNA) has unveiled a new website through which the public will have easier access to its services in the coming years.

The website was launched as part of celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the guardians of the history of Seychelles, with the SNA launched in 1964 along with an exhibition showcasing the 60 years’ existence of the Seychelles National Archives. 

Speaking to Seychelles News Agency, during the ceremony to celebrate the anniversary, held at the National History Museum on Thursday, Veena Andimignon, an archive assistant, explained that the website, while launched, is still under construction, where more services will be added to it in the future.

"The website for the moment, is a way for our clients to get better access to us, where they can see what services we offer, along with a price list and they can also contact us through the website itself," explained Andimignon.

She said that among the things that will be added to the website will be a database of the National Archives, which people will have access to for research purposes.

The website launch comes as the institution is working to digitalise its services and records, to keep up with modern needs as well as become more accessible.

Speaking at the ceremony to celebrate the Archives' 60 years of existence, the permanent secretary for the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts (SNICHA), Cecile Kalebi, said that the digitisation of the Archive's collection is one of its most significant development in recent years.

"This initiative has allowed for the systematic digitisation of a vast array of documents, records, and photographs - preserving them for future generations while ensuring greater accessibility for the public," said Kalebi.

She shared that through this process, there will be online access to the wealth of historical records, making the country's shared history more easily accessible to the public and to researchers worldwide.

One of the main services that the Seychelles National Archives offers to locals is genealogy research, where people can trace their ancestry through several generations.

Through the digitisation programme this process will become an easier experience, and Kalebi said, "The Seychelles National Archives have successfully migrated from the manual methods of researching family trees to the use of specialised software, significantly reducing the time required for individuals to trace their genealogy."

One of the biggest issues the  Archives have faced in the past year is the preservation of paper-based records with documents in danger of being lost due to fungi.

Kalebi shared that through the groundbreaking Archives' deacidification programme, these records will be better preserved.

"This programme allows us to ensure that our records, some of which are centuries old, remain in good condition for future generations," said Kalebi.

She added: "It is a vital part of the Archives' efforts to preserve our heritage and provide a lasting resource for research, education, and cultural discovery."

The Seychelles National Archives are also working to build a distinctive and extensive collection of its own audiovisual archive materials. Beyond written records, this ambitious initiative will record and preserve Seychelles' sounds, sights, and stories.

Kalebi gave a brief history of the Seychelles National Archives. She said that it was with the Instrument of Capitulation of Seychelles, signed on May 17, 1794, between the British Captain Henry Newcome of HMS Orpheus and the French Commandant Chevalier Quéau de Quincy, that Seychelles National Archives first appeared.

The colonial administrative records of the island began with this historical document, laying the groundwork for the future creation of the Seychelles National Archives.

However, with the passage of Seychelles National Archives Ordinance No. 27 of November 7, 1964, the present Seychelles National Archives began to take shape in the 1960s. The Archives were not immediately active despite the 1964 decree, and it took several more years before the institution was formally established.

With such a long history, there has of course been a large number of people who has worked at the Seychelles National Archives, and during the ceremony, all staff members who are currently still working there were also rewarded, with Merna Crea, being the longest serving staff of them all, having spent over 30 years there.