Seychellois Creole people

Seychellois Creole people are a nation and ethnic group native to Seychelles, who speak Seychellois Creole. They are the predominant ethnic group in the country.[1]

The majority of the people living in the Seychelles are referred to as creole. They are mainly of East African and Malagasy origin. However, some are also of mixed East African, Malagasy, Indian, Chinese and French origins.

Origins

Originally, African slaves, who were living in Mauritius, migrated to Seychelles to work on sugar and coffee plantations. They were the last slaves to be introduced to the Indian Ocean. Their origins lie in Africa, and to a lesser extent, Madagascar, Mozambique and Congo.

Distribution

Today, Creoles are dispersed throughout Seychelles. They number roughly 76,000, which is more than 70% of the entire Seychellois population. Creoles are the dominant group in politics.

The Seychellois music genre of Sega is known as Moutia.

Seychellois Creoles are proud of their African heritage and set up a Creole institute in Mahé to help promote their culture and to help others understand it. Unlike Mauritius, where Creole has no official status, the Seychelles have made Creole one of their three official languages, along with French and English.

Demographics

Like most of the country's population, the majority of the Creoles identify as Christians. Most of them are Catholic, with Protestant, Anglican, Adventist and other Christian denominations in the minority. The remainder of the population are either Hindu or Muslim. Seychellois Creole is the commonly spoken language, but French and English are also widely understood.

References
  1. Robert Chaudenson (2001(of translation)). Creolization of Language and Culture. CRC press. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-203-44029-2. Check date values in: |year= (help)
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