Since 2016, Seychelles has celebrated the island nation’s Constitution of the Third Republic every June 18 in a public holiday called Constitution Day. This year marked the 26th anniversary.
In this week’s buzz, SNA presents four patriotic items that help make Seychelles what it is.
National anthem
The national anthem is ‘Koste Seselwa.’ It was created by David Andre and Georges Payet, both winners of a competition to come up with an anthem for the Third Republic.
The two local singers were approached to compose the anthem along with Antoine Azemia. The initial work was done by the trio and the final version by Andre and George.
The arrangement for the anthem was made by a Russian orchestra expert and band conductor– Anatoli Savatinov.
Koste Seselwa was recorded for the first time by the French Republican Guard Band in Paris, an event Andre had the chance to attend and witness.
(David André and George Payet, Wikimedia Commons) Photo License: CC0
National emblem
The Seychelles’ coat of arms consists of a shield supported by two Indo-Pacific sailfish. The emblem was given by the Royal Warrant of Queen Elizabeth II, dated 27 May 1976.
A silver helmet and tropicbird hover above the shield, and the national motto “Finis Coronat Opus,” meaning “The End Crowns the Work,” is displayed on a ribbon below.
Displayed within the shield are an Aldabra giant tortoise, Seychelles palm, the Indian Ocean and a schooner.
(Wikimedia Commons) Photo License: CC0
National motto ‘Finis Coronat Opus’
Also found on the emblem is the Seychelles’ motto which was designed and composed by Sir Ernest Bickham Sweet-Escott – a former British governor of Seychelles.
According to Seychellois historian Tony Mathiot, the motto could be defined as ‘the goal gives value to the labour that produced it.’ Mathiot said that the motto was approved by the legislative body in 1901 and was later placed on the British flag, Union Jack, in Seychelles in 1903.
(Wikimedia Commons) Photo License: CC0
National flag
Approved by the Seychelles parliament, the flag of the Third Republic was launched on June 18, 1996, under the new multiparty system. Made up of five oblique bands of blue, yellow, red, white and green, the current flag represents “a dynamic young country moving into a new future.”
The meaning of the colours: Blue symbolises the sky above and the sea that surrounds the Seychelles. Yellow represents the sun which gives light and life. Red depicts the people and their determination to work. White is for social justice and harmony. Green depicts the land and natural environment which Seychelles prides over.
(Thomas Meriton) Photo License: CC-BY
