History fair contest concentrating on Seychelles' heritage opens for submissions

This year’s history fair was launched last Friday and participants have one year to work on their projects. The winner will be announced next year. (Joe Laurence, Seychelles News Agency)

(Seychelles News Agency) - Making better use of the history of Seychelles for learning is the aim of a history fair organised by the National Archives.

“There is a need to get more students to take up history and study it further. We feel that we need to give our history its true value,” said the National Archives Director Alain Lucas.

This year’s history fair was launched last Friday and participants have one year to work on their projects. The winner will be announced next year. Interested participants can contact 4321333.

Lucas said the fair is done every two years and has alternated with the science fair since 2009 when an agreement was signed with the Ministry of Education.

This year's theme is “the heritage of our community, our traditions and our customs.”(Joe Laurence, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

Although the fair is primarily for students, members of the public are also urged to participate.  This year's theme is “the heritage of our community, our traditions and our customs.”

“We want to cultivate the appreciation of history and have a Seychellois nation with a strong national identity and rich diverse heritage, which makes us unique,” Lucas said.

He added that through the project, the National Archives is enriching the public databases such as archives and museums and “getting students and the public, in general, to contribute towards the preservation of national heritage and cultural identity.”

The Department of Culture of Seychelles, a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, renewed the agreement with the Ministry of Education on Friday.