THE SEYCHELLOIS CREOLE FOLKLORE DATABASE

The Seychellois Creole Folklore Database is an initiative of the Creole Language and Culture Research Institute (CLCRI) of the University of Seychelles (UniSey), in collaboration with the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts (CI). The aim of the database is to bring together all the different genres of Seychellois expressive folklore, in one location, for the following reasons:

1. Conservation and valorization of Seychelles’ Intangible Cultural Heritage;

2. Encourage research on the Seychellois language and culture by providing a solid corpus;

3. Encourage creativity amongst Seychellois artists by providing a source for their inspiration;

4. Further the development of the Seychellois Creole culture.

The first corpus of the Seychellois Creole Folklore Database to be created is the Seychellois Creole Folktale Database, launched on the 24th of October, 2022. The creation of this database was enabled by Article 1 of an MOU between UniSey and CI, and an Agreement specific to folklore, signed by both parties, on 24th October 2022. The corpus comprises of stories which has been published by various institutions such as the Creole Institute, stories documented or published by the National Heritage Research and Protection Section, stories which had been told on Radio Seychelles in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, stories which had originally been published as part of early linguistic research in Seychelles from the 1970s to the 1980s, as well as any personal collections.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A special acknowledgement goes to the early researchers who collected the first corpus of stories from the 1970s to the 1980s: Abdourahamane Diallo, Marcel Rosalie, Gabriel Essack, Eudoxie Labiche, Marie-Cecile Medor, Chantal Dubignon, Annegret Bollée, Ingrid Neumann. The work done by the Creole Institute of Seychelles (now Lakademi Kreol) in the early 1990s, to collect and publish Seychellois Creole folktales through the creation of the Tales and Legends series. This was an initiative of the then Director of the Creole Institute, Mrs. Marie-Thérèse Choppy (now Hossen), and lead by Mrs. Flavienne Payet. The Seychelles National Radio (Radyo Sesel), under the umbrella of the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) is also acknowledged for initiating the Creole Storytelling programmes of the 1980s, which has resulted in an important corpus of stories, which forms part of this database.

The teams responsible for the creation of the Folktale Database are listed below: