‘Culture should be everyone’s business’

The Ministry of Tourism and Culture will be soon be launching the country’s first Cultural District Award, an innovative project geared towards making culture everyone’s business as much in the districts as at national level. 

The idea of the Cultural District Award is to encourage district administration, private residences, villages, churches, schools and other grouping in the communities to rally to promote the Seychelles culture and to showcase these cultural assets starting at district level. 

The national Cultural District Award will evaluate the districts’ competitiveness in four categories: built and national heritage, artistic heritage, people living heritage and traditional games and performances. 

Cash prizes will be given in all categories. An overall best cash prize will be given to the district collecting the highest number of points from members of the jury. 
 
Marcel Rosalie, the director general for Culture in the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, is spearheading the Cultural District Award. He said that this award will give culture its rightful place in the communities.

“Culture should not be seen only as a form of entertainment, but also a money generating machine for the districts,” he said.

Through the launch of the Cultural District Award, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture stands to ensure that culture does not remain solely an affair of the ministry responsible of culture. 

The Ministry of Tourism and Culture's long-term plan “is for culture to become at the heart of sustainable development in districts and in so doing in Seychelles”.

The District Cultural Award will be officially launched on November 27, 2013.  Submission of preliminary inventory of cultural assets of districts will be held on January 31, 2014. Districts have until March 31, 2014 to submit their registration forms of the categories in which they are participating. 

Prize giving ceremony for the Cultural District Award will be held on the third week of November 2014. To ensure that proper guidance, advice and assistance are given to districts enrolling in the competition a Cultural District Award committee comprising key professionals in the field of arts heritage, architecture, history, culture and tourism will be set up. 

The Cultural District Award will be a biennial event.

Forrás: www.nation.sc