On the occasion of Seychelles’ 38th anniversary of Independence, President James Michel attended a flag-raising ceremony at the Lavwa Lanasyon monument in Victoria this morning, together with the Vice-President, Danny Faure, religious leaders and dignitaries.
They then walked further down the 5th June Avenue, to watch the unveiling of the new national monument, called the Liberty monument, in a colourful ceremony depicting national unity and celebration of freedom attended by a large number of guests.
In his address at the inauguration, President Michel said that the statue symbolises the unity and liberty of the Seychellois people as well as patriotism, hope and the march of a nation towards a promising future.
“It represents those who dedicated their lives to freedom, those who fell for freedom. It is also a tribute to our youth. It also evokes the richness and beauty of our environment,” said the President.
The President said the spirit of the monument should lead the nation towards patriotic fervor, combined with a love for our neighbours and for our homeland.
“Let it inspire us toward a new future, toward a more fraternal world. Let it inspire our efforts to work for a New Seychelles where we have banished hatred, prejudice, recrimination. Let it inspire so that love reigns in our country. Let our sufferings of the past, the sufferings of more than two centuries of history, strengthen our resolve to create a Seychelles that is united and at peace. Let the victories and successes of our past inspire us toward other victories and successes in the future.”
President Michel unveiled the plaque for the monument, while two youths unveiled the statue from underneath its golden cloth at the same time.
The Liberty monument, a statue of a Seychellois man and woman holding together over their heads the flag of the country with their eyes looking forward towards the future, was designed and sculpted by renowned Seychellois British-born artist Tom Bowers, and the bronze was processed at the Bronze Age Foundry in Cape Town, South Africa.
In 2015, Independence Day will be celebrated as the National Day of the Seychelles.