A love story with Seychelles: Claude Pavard celebrates 40 years of island enchantment

Claude Pavard shares his discovery of the Seychelles islands in his new book. (Joe Laurence, Seychelles News Agency)

(Seychelles News Agency) - In his recently launched publication on the Seychelles, well-known French cinema director, photographer and reporter Claude Pavard recalls what he has seen and discovered throughout his voyages to the islands. 

“The book illustrates different aspects of the Creole way of life and that of islanders, as well as everything I have lived and experienced since I first arrived on the islands on the 1st of January 1978,” says Pavard.

He added that: “I have also recounted the extraordinary story of the coco de mer and my unique adventure on Aldabra, a world heritage site declared by the UNESCO.”

In his latest book, Pavard has recounted the extraordinary story of the coco de mer and his unique adventure on Aldabra, a world heritage site declared by the UNESCO. (Joe Laurence, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

The new book was launched in a ceremony at the Eden Bleu on the eastern cost of the main island Mahe and is already on sale in bookshops in Seychelles. The ceremony was attended by top officials from the ministry of tourism as well as close friends of the author. 

Pavard said that through this book he is inviting readers to discover his adopted country - Seychelles. He said that the beauty and uniqueness of the islands have all been captured in this love story.

The book, which is the fourth in a series on Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, took two years to realise and it portrays happy memories of island life.

The collection of photos in the book shows well-known people, events, flora, fauna as well as different scenes, from both the inner and outer islands. 

Some scenes are that of activities like the harvesting of guano and coconut, a once economically viable activity in the islands.

The book illustrates different aspects of the Creole way of life and that of islanders (Joe Laurence, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

The three other publications inspired by the islands from Claude Pavard are: Seychelles: A bird’s eye view, Seychelles from one island to another, and The Seychelles archipelago. They can all be purchased on the www.amazon.com and www.abebooks.co.uk websites. 

Pavard, who was born in Algeria,  started his career with the European Union in Brussels, Belgium before moving into journalism, television production and photography with a special focus on the African continent and the Indian Ocean islands.