Religions and languages in Seychelles

The Seychelles has only one official language – Creole. Many also note that in this case we are not talking about the classical Creole, but about its dialect – Seychellois Creole. French is the basis of this Creole dialect. However, very little from the classical French remained in the dialect to the present days. This is because the linguistic canons of the eighteenth century were taken as a basis. Roman alphabets are used as a script. In the archipelago this is the most common spoken language; it is spoken by at least ninety-five percent of the total population. To date, Creole language is held in great esteem on the islands. In order to continue to develop and popularize this language, a unique Institute of Creole language was even established.

It is worth noting that just 41 years ago the Seychelles were under British citizenship. This century and a half, territorial distribution also left a deep mark on the republic. Thus, almost every third of the population of the Seychelles speaks English, at least at the minimum conversational level. English is used as a second language in tourist areas of atolls. It is used in conversations with tourists, as well as in the service sector, and during excursions. Also, English language is widely used in business sphere, although according to official data, no more than seven percent of the population speaks it.

In addition to English and Creole, the modern French language is also widely spread within the territory of the islands. In some remote places you can still hear some modified dialects of Creole. On the Seychelles people also speak a unique dialect, which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. It does not have a specific name, but is known to have been formed on the basis of three ancient languages: the National Language of Mauritius, Creole and Reunion. It is worth noting that in the Seychelles, locals are absolutely loyal to the speakers of foreign languages. In general, immigration to the island is small, so the local population is quite comfortable to communicate only in Creole, and with visiting tourists in French or English. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

To date, the dominant religion in the Seychelles is Christianity, to be precise Catholicism. It is worth noting that this was influenced by the history of the islands. After all, the lands were owned by the French colonialists, who had left a huge number of people affiliated to Catholicism in the territory. According to statistics which was conducted in 2016, about 87% of the population professes precisely Catholicism. It is worth noting that during the reign of the British on the islands, the Protestant religion was gradually introduced. However, this faith did not attract the local population, which remained faithful to the religion of their ancestors. Now, no more than four percent of the locals profess the Anglican faith.

On the main and largest island, Mahe, you can see dozens of stylish churches, cathedrals and monasteries, most of which are Catholic. In this case, according to the Constitution of the country, everyone is completely free in making a choice of religion. Therefore, the construction of sanctuaries of other religions is not prohibited by anyone. Despite the fact that the majority of the population professes Catholicism, in villages and remote places people still believe in black magic and bow before sorceresses and shamans. Many African holidays are celebrated, which are accompanied by original hymns and the sounds of drums (Tam-tams). Nevertheless on the whole, the Christian religion is quite well combined with the syncretism of the African ancestors of the local population. Also, in the Seychelles there are small diasporas of Muslims, Christians and Hindus.