History of the Seychelles

Early history

Geologically speaking, the islands of the Seychelles are the oldest on earth, and although they were probably passed by Polynesians and Arab merchants as early as the third century, they were left largely unexplored until the 18th century.

In 1609 an English ship drifted during a storm onto one of the islands. On the island the sailors found giant tortoises, turtles, exotic birds, fish4 and plenty of fresh water. It was a palm-fringed paradise. Even though their findings were reported, no attempt was made by the British to colonise the islands.

The French make a move

It wasn't until the French started to colonise Mauritius (then called Ile de France) that the Seychelles were tentatively explored. Various failed expeditions were sent to plot the islands in a bid to secure a more secure trade-route to the east. French exploration of the islands in the early 1700s did not lead to much, mostly due to the distraction of the turf-war between themselves and the British in India and colonies in Canada.

In 1742 an expedition was sent from Mauritius, the group landed on an island and named it Mahé, after the Mauritian governor at the time. Then in 1756, Corneille Nicholas Morphey claimed Mahé (which he renamed Ile de Sechelles) and the surrounding islands for France.

Fourteen years later, Brayer du Barre, a private citizen in Mauritius was given permission to run a settlement in the Seychelles at his own expense. A motley crew of 28 set sail from Mauritius and landed on an island called Sainte Anne, northeast of Mahé. The group consisted of 15 white colonists, seven slaves, five Indians and one black woman.

The small group had little success on the island. Du Barre was unable to raise the money required to keep things running and by 1772 they abandoned Sainte Anne and either moved to Mahe, or returned to France. Around the same time, the French governor of Mauritius had sent colonists to grow spices and crops on Mahe in an attempt to keep pace with the Dutch monopoly on the rare spice trade.

Ceded to the British

Towards the end of the century, the British were quickly gaining dominance in the Indian Ocean and were already blockading many of the French islands. In 1810 Mauritius surrendered to British control and they set their sights on the Seychelles. A British officer, Lieutenant Sullivan, was appointed to keep tabs on the situation on the islands.

The British had abolished the slave trade, and Sullivan had a constant battle with the pro-slave colonists. Other than their stance on slavery, the British continued to govern the islands according to French practices and there were really no immigrants from Britain who settled there permanently.

A British Crown Colony

In 1903 the Seychelles became a crown colony, separate from Mauritius. The First World War wreaked havoc on the islands. The abrupt halt to exports and no visiting ships plunged the economy into a downward spiral. Things improved marginally after the war, with various workers unions forming that lobbied for minimum wages, land reform and healthcare for the poor.

The Second World War caused yet more woe and led to great political change. The first political party was formed in 1948. Only literate land-owners were allowed to vote (about 2,000 out of a population of 36,000) and, predictably, the elected council represented their interests. Over the years that followed, there were more changes, with several political parties forming.

An Independent Republic

On 29 June 1976 James Mancham was elected the first president of the Republic of Seychelles. This too was short-lived, in 1977, while Mancham was in London, his political opponent and Prime Minister, France-Albert Rene, staged a coup d'etat and deposed him. The Seychelles turned into a one party state ruled by the Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF).

This socialist rule ended in 1993 with a new constitution and free elections. Rene won a majority with nearly 60% of the vote. Similarly, Rene and the SPPF won a majority again in 2001.

Today, the Seychelles is a prosperous middle income country. The Seychellois are a Creole people with a unique culture and language. The economy is heavily dependent on the tourism and fishing sectors.

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