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| (c) 2011 Seychelles Tourism Board |
Jihad Abdillah Hassan, Zanzibar-Tanzania’s minister of information, culture, tourism, and sports, recently gathered with foreign diplomats, tour operators, and airline representatives for an evening about Seychelles in the Slipway Venue in Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam.
At the gathering, attendants heard about the island's “Carnaval International de Victoria" and witnessed the launch of the book “Seychelles, Enters the World of Carnival." Alain St.Ange, the book's author and CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board, also was present.
The venue was decorated by billboards of pictures of the Seychelles' March 2011 carnival and from the book's cover. The pictures depicted Brazilian, Indian, Indonesian, British, French, and African delegations joining in with the Seychelles' own delegations at the island's last carnival, held in Victoria, Seychelles’ capital.
Maria Pool, the Seychelles Consul and Tourism Ambassador in Tanzania, organized the evening occasion. There, Pool expressed gratitude to the attending diplomats, and particularly to Minister Hassan and his delegation. Delegation members included Hamad Mshindo, commissioner for culture in Zanzibar, and Ali Khalil Mirza, director general of the Commission of Tourism for Zanzibar-Tanzania.
“We value your support and friendship, and we hope that our Seychelles remains always dear to you as it is to us, the Seychellois nation," Pool said.
During his talk, St.Ange first said he could take time to discuss what attributes people may already know about Seychelles such as the pristine beauty and diversity of the islands. Instead, he explained they were here to talk about why the Carnaval International de Victoria should be considered the “Carnival for Africa.”
He added the carnival could likewise extend to gaining interest for Europe, Asia, Australasia and the Americas. “Seychelles is but the host country for an event where the Community of Nations is invited to showcase their own people, their own culture, and their own achievements,” said St.Ange.
Minister Hassan, who personally led a delegation to Seychelles for the island's carnival, said that he valued the effort being made by Seychelles to offer to the world an event when everyone could showcase their own culture and people. “I am appealing to Africa to stand behind Seychelles and participate in this unique carnival of carnivals," Hassan said.
St.Ange offered a signed first-edition copy of his book to Minister Hassan, which is scheduled to be delivered to the president of Tanzania.
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