The National Day celebrations this year took on a new colouring with the change in venue. The success in Mahébourg in the South has been such that the government is already thinking of moving it north to Grand-Bay next year. The idea of shifting the event from the usual ? and maybe too conventional ? Port-Louis to the Mahebourg Waterfront was appreciated by the great majority. It gave a stronger identity to the celebrations, which were held in a really festive mood.

Thousands of people flocked to Mahébourg for the 37th anniversary of Independence and the 13th anniversary of the Republic of Mauritius. The South is rarely used as a venue for such great celebrations and people from the region seized the opportunity. The crowd came from the various villages in the Southern region.

Even the official part of the celebration, which does not usually vary a lot over the years, had something exceptional in this new environment. The boats with their national flags used as sails offered a peaceful and original backdrop to the cultural show on the origins of the Mauritian population.

Drums, djembe, tablas, and gongs were part of this musical show with famous artists such as Menwar and Naden Veerapen. The text by Carlo de Souza, was read by Vanessa Damon. The display of dancing by Patrick Athow, Indiren Mooneesamy and Sandhya Mungur was a real delight.

Then, as from 6pm, the official ceremony started: parade, flag-raising, air show. The ten-minute firework display to the sound of Vivaldi?s ?Four Seasons? and ?Carmina Burana? was the peak and finale of the ceremony.

But the show was far from over. Local and regional artists like Claudio Veeraragoo, OSB, Ton Vié, Natir and Bhojpuri Boys took over ensuring a festive atmosphere until 10pm. The public and the organisers looked satisfied with the celebrations. It gives us all one more reason to be proud of being Mauritian? not only on the 12th of March.

Moreover, on the same day, another event took place. The staff of the first private radio, Radio One, killed two birds with one stone when they celebrated their 3rd anniversary as well as the National Day. In view of the increase in violence recently, Radio One launched an operation called ?100,000 candles? to say no to violence. They distributed candles and asked people to light them at 7 pm in solidarity. According to Radio One director, Finlay Salesse, the ?happening? was a huge success.

Mauritius to cash in on reforms in Seychelles

The three-day State visit of Seychelles President James Michel, as chief guest for Independence and Republic Day celebrations, has set a new milestone in the economic ties between our two countries. The two neighbouring islands have reaffirmed their commitment to deepen exchanges in trade and investments at a time when the Seychelles are forging ahead with major economic reforms.

Mauritius sees plenty of opportunities in the opening up of the Seychelles economy. The domestic market has for long been dominated by State companies that operate in almost all industries. Privatisation and market deregulation rank high on the reforms agenda. The private sector will henceforth play a more important part in the economic development of a country known for its socialist affinities and policies.

James Michel, who was sworn in as President only last year, has the responsibility of directing the shift towards a pro-market economy. His predecessor, Albert René, was at the helm of the country for nearly three decades. He has left his (left-wing) mark on the history of the nation and that of the ruling party, the Seychelles People?s Progressive Front (SPPF). Bringing in radical changes is not going to be an easy task for the new President. Compromise is more likely to be the way forward.

?We want to maintain the bulk of what we have achieved so far. We have always placed a high priority on investing in education and health services. Now we want to pay greater attention to the economy by offering better opportunities to the private sector?, says our visitor.

Tourism and fisheries are the main areas of cooperation between our two countries. The two major Mauritian hotel groups, Beachcomber and Sun Resorts, have already established business in the archipelago. They also have plans to expand their presence through more hotels. The Naïade Resorts hotel group is also starting operations in the Seychelles. An agreement signed between the two governments relating to the fisheries sector will allow Mauritian operators to fish in Seychelles waters.