Bringing Island Folklore Into Focus For Tourists
In collaboration with prominent local
historians and writers, the management group for Denis Private Island, Indian
Ocean Lodge and the CaranaBeach Hotel are adding a new twist to their guest
experience: a series of tales based on Seychellois folklore and history, supplied
nightly as part of the turn-down service.
The stories cover some of the more unique
and off-beat elements of Seychelles’ history and culture, with dramatised
narrations and historical perspectives coming from both oral traditions and archived
records.
Considerable research and planning were
required to make sure the content was not only educational, but also
entertaining, Nicole St Ange, the hotel group’s PR, Branding and Communications
Manager, said.
“Our folklore series aims to show a
different side of Seychelles that tourists might not otherwise have a chance to
learn about,” St Ange said.
Chevalier Jean-Baptiste Queau de Quincy’s
exploits as governor, what happens in the Vallée de Mai during a full moon and a chilling yarn of pirate-style villainy are among the
tales lined up for guests, delivered every evening by way of a message in a
bottle.
“It was quite a challenge to figure out
which stories we should use and how we could package them together into a
consistent format,” St Ange said. “We want our guests to look forward to the
next one every evening.”
Adding to the complexity of the task: some
of the stories only form part of Seychelles’ oral tradition, with little to no
record of them in writing, especially old fables and superstitions.
“When piecing these elements together, we often
had to adopt more of a fictional approach to create an intriguing narrative,
but one that would still be consistent with history,” St Ange said.
That also comprises another benefit of the
project for Seychelles as a whole, according to St Ange, as the folklore series
will capture in writing some elements that have never found their way into
history texts.
“All of the stories and their origins
belong to Seychelles, but the way we’ve packaged them is a special treat for our
guests,” St Ange said. “It’s one more memory to take with them.”