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    In conversation with medical student Oceane Eichle In conversation with medical student Oceane Eichler... "Regardless of what anyone says, if you want to study medicine, then do it for yourself; it doesn’t matter where you come from or if you are not a straight-A student. Yes, you have to have decent grades, but if you have passion, nothing can stop you at the end of the day. NEVER doubt yourself." More on Cosmocreole.
#seychellois #Seychelles #medicalstudent #prague #charlesuniversity #motivation #studentlife
    In collaboration with @fiykreolbeauty here is you In collaboration with @fiykreolbeauty  here is your chance to win 1. Fiy Kreol 10 pack hair elastics 2. Detangling Brush (Pink) 3.Standard Beauty Coffee Body Scrub
4. Holika Holika Pure Essence Mask Sheet (Shea Butter)
T&C follow @cosmocreole & @fiykreolbeauty . Like this post and tag two friends. Competition open to Seychelles resident  and a winner will be picked at random. Competition ends on 30th May at midnight. Good luck!
And to get to know the founder of Fiy Kreol, read her story on Cosmocreole. Link in the bio.
    Meet Dominique, the face behind Fiy Kreol, an onli Meet Dominique, the face behind Fiy Kreol, an online Beauty Shop based in Seychelles. " Fiy Kreol is the first business idea I have decided to pursue. Like many other new businesses in Seychelles, the idea for Fiy Kreol came about during the pandemic. The reasons why I thought of starting Fiy Kreol were; that many online stores had stopped shipping to Seychelles at that time and have not resumed international shipping to date..." Read Dominique's story on Cosmocreole. 
#beauty #youngentrepeneur  #womeninbusiness  #seychelloise #seychelles
    Natasha Chetty, 22, is a double gold medallist at Natasha Chetty, 22,  is a double gold medallist at the last Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG) in Mauritius in 2019 and now competes for the University of Nevada, Reno, USA. She shares her journey from Seychelles to Nevada with Cosmocreole.Link in the bio. "The journey is not going to be easy. You're going to meet people who will leave you along the way, and you're going to have setbacks, obstacles, challenges and tough choices to make. Some days you're not going to be able to give your best, and it's okay not to be the best every single day. Some days you might feel like you want to give up or even doubt yourself. You will experience all sorts of criticism, people who'd look down on you, people who doubt you, and people who don't want to see you win. But these are the challenges you face along the way that build you and prepare you to achieve what you've been working for. So don't ever stop working towards your goal!" Natasha Chetty
#youngseychellois #seychelloise #goingforgold #studentlife #seychelles #university #IOIG
    To all mothers, we hear and see you: To the moth To all mothers, we hear and  see you:

To the mothers of neurodiverse children, we salute you for fighting, paving the way for your children even though no one has paved the way for you.

To the mothers who have lost a child, you are heartbroken, but the way you move forward in grief is humbling and inspiring.

To the mothers of differently-abled children, tiredness is your life but you do not give up. We see your love.

To the mothers of adopted children, you are brave —giving them a home, being there—loving them.

To the mothers doing it alone, your determination is noted—you are stronger than you think.

We hope we raise children who understand  that their mothers are flawed but we try our best.

Happy mother's day to all the wonderful mothers and mothers to be. 🥰

#mothers #happymothersday
    #happyeaster #happyeaster
    Elaine Desnousse, was born with a medical conditio Elaine Desnousse, was born with a medical condition called Bronchiectasis, diagnosed when she was 14. Living with Bronchiectasis can be stressful and frustrating; whilst most people with the condition have a normal life expectancy, for people with very severe symptoms, however, Bronchiectasis can be fatal if the lungs stop working properly. Elaine needs a double lung transplant. Read Elaine’s story on Cosmocreole.
#doublelungtransplant  #respiratorytherapy  #fundraising #Seychelles #bronchiectasis
    Dear Mothers, To the mothers of neurodiverse chil Dear Mothers,

To the mothers of neurodiverse children, we salute you for fighting, paving the way for your children even though no one has paved the way for you.

To the mothers who have lost a child, you are heartbroken, but the way you move forward in grief is humbling and inspiring.

To the mothers of differently-abled children, tiredness is your life but you do not give up. We see your love.

To the mothers of adopted children, you are brave —giving them a home, being there—loving them.

To the mothers doing it alone, your determination is noted—you are stronger than you think.

To all mothers, we are unique—accommodating and fiercely protective women because of motherhood. However, never forget that as mothers we do not hold our children back but instead, allow them to feel safe enough to wander independently if they can and explore the wonders of life —the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Mother's are flawed but we try our best.

Happy mother's day to all the wonderful mothers and mothers to be. 

#mothers #mothersday #happymothersday
    This year, for me, the celebration of women is a b This year, for me, the celebration of women is a bittersweet one. As a woman, wife and mother, I am heartbroken for the millions of families in Ukraine being affected by the war. So, this International Women’s Day, let us acknowledge the courage and determination of the extraordinary women facing the conflict.

From the women fleeing the violence to keep their families safe to those on the front lines or bringing us their stories on the ground as journalists, to the leaders managing the crisis. These women are playing an important role in this crisis, and we salute them this International Women’s Day.

We've compiled a small ebook, a reminder of the strength, wisdom  and determination  of some Seychellois women. You can download from our website. Link in the bio.

Happy Women’s Day 

Jini

#women #BreakTheBias #IWD2022 #seychelloise. #seychelles
    The New African magazine publishes an annual lis The New African magazine publishes an annual listing of the 100 Most Influential Africans to celebrate Africanness. Seychelles’ environmental lawyer Angelique Pouponneau made it on the top 100 African Changemakers list. There are six categories: Leaders, Entrepreneurs, Changemakers, Opinion Shapers, Creatives and Sportspeople. Congratulations to Angelique. Read more on Cosmocreole. 
#changemaker #environmentalist #africa #newafrica  #seychellois #Seychelles
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Nationhood

28 November 2020 · In: Arts & Culture, journal

In August 2020, Seychelles celebrated a huge milestone—250 years as a Nation. Our nation came into existence with 15 white colonists, seven slaves, five Indians and one black woman as its first known inhabitants. This was the start of us—a nation.

Photo credit: Michel Daniel Denousse

My great-grandmother was born Caroline Rideau in Foret Noire. She was one of ten children born to Philogene and Jeanne Rideau. Like many other young girls of the time, she was married when she was a teenager. Her husband’s name was Jacob Vel. He died, leaving her widowed at 24 with two young boys. 12 years later, after a brief affair with an Indian merchant who had set up shop in Market Street, she fell pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, my grandmother, Elina. I am named after her. The father, who was allegedly married, didn’t stay in Seychelles for too long after that. There are rumours that he would send her jewellery from India, but I don’t know for sure.

Elina was a somewhat troubled individual – or is it just the way the stories have been told? She was a force to be reckoned with. She even gave a catholic priest a piece of her mind once after an incident of ill-treatment involving my mother (we are Anglican). Of course, this, at the time, was not how one was expected to behave with a man of the church. Still, putting all the stories and bits and pieces together, I get a sense of terror. But she was also an alcoholic, so I guess that makes it a bit complicated.

She never married. In her late thirties, along with the participation of a fellow alcoholic, my mother came into the picture. Her father didn’t stay in that picture for too long either. His name was Moris, and I have no picture of him at all. The few times I would ask about him as a child and queried as to what he looked like, the neighbours would tell me ‘I ti en nwanr later rouz’. English translation: red-earthed black man. To this day, I have no clue what that means. My mother has a handful of times, spoken of the call she got when he died and how she had to go to the funeral. When I think of the closeness I had with my father, who died in my arms, I struggle to comprehend the indifference to one.

As our country marks its 250th anniversary, I cannot help but ponder a little bit of our heritage, in particular, my own. I do not have a single picture of them, which could maybe create some form of connection. Despite this, though, I feel like I know them. The short Indian man in a sarong roaming market streets, Elina’s long Cinderella hair, Moris’ temper – I have paid enough attention to know a tiny bit of the puzzle that they were. I will never have the missing pieces, but that’s OK, because, in many ways, I am them.

Elina Rideau. The name which fills up my maternal grandmother slot in my family tree.

Shortly after I shared this piece, my brother came across this photo of her amongst buried and forgotten treasures. For the past few months, I have taken a few minutes each day to look at her face. I told myself I would share it if only I ever reached a point that I would know her completely, so much so, that if our paths crossed and despite knowing she had passed decades ago, I would recognize her.

The photo was taken in 1973. My brother is in my mother’s arms and my grandmother standing next to them

I think I’m there now.

If we had lived in the same lifetime, I cannot think of anything we would have agreed upon. It would have been a very complicated relationship. But, I would have certainly reciprocated her love. I’d like to think she would have made me laugh, and I would have helped her heal.

I carry her name. I have always carried her. Now, I know her face.

By Marie-France Watson

· In: Arts & Culture, journal

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