Your Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India;Your Excellency Dr. the Honourable Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius, and Mrs. Veena Ramgoolam;Your Excellencies, Distinguished Invited Guests, My Fellow Seychellois, Ladies and Gentlemen,All protocols observed.It is my great honour and pleasure to welcome you to Seychelles as we commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of our Independence.Your presence on this historic occasion is a great honour to our nation and a reflection of the enduring friendships and partnerships that Seychelles has nurtured with countries across the world over the past five decades. We are deeply grateful that you have joined us to celebrate this important milestone in our nation’s history.Fifty years ago, Seychelles took its rightful place among the community of nations as a sovereign and independent Republic. Since then, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to friendship, mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and constructive international cooperation.The progress we celebrate today has been made possible through the resilience and determination of the Seychellois people, strengthened by the friendship, solidarity and cooperation of our international partners. For this, we express our sincere gratitude.As we celebrate this Golden Jubilee, we reaffirm our commitment to strengthening the bonds of friendship that unite our countries and to working together in pursuit of a more peaceful, prosperous and sustainable future.Once again, welcome to Seychelles, and thank you for honouring us with your presence on this memorable occasion.My fellow Seychellois,As we celebrate fifty years of our nation’s independence, it is only fitting that I continue this address in our mother tongue, Kreol Seselwa, the language that reflects our identity, our heritage and the enduring spirit of our people.Fifty years.Fifty years ago, I still remember it vividly. I was a 12-year-old boy. On my own, I made my way to “Stad Popiler” to witness the birth of my country, Seychelles.For the very first time, our flag – the flag of Seychelles, blue, white and red –was raised beneath the skies of the Indian Ocean, making a declaration to the world: We are free. Seychelles is free. Our people are free.At long last, after many years of struggle, Seychelles had attained its sovereignty.There are moments in the life of a nation that transcend the passage of time –moments that belong not just to those who lived them, but to every generation that follows. Today is such a moment. The Golden Jubilee of our independence is not merely a date on a calendar. It is a reckoning with who we are, a celebration of how far we have come, and a solemn promise about where we are going.I stand before you today not only as your President, but as a Seychellois – one among you – humbled and moved by the weight of this occasion and the beauty of this people.Long before the world took notice of these islands, our ancestors – Creole, African, Asian, European – arrived on these shores and chose to build something together. They brought with them different stories, different tongues, different faiths. And from that extraordinary diversity, they forged something rare: a people at peace with one another, a culture uniquely and irreplaceably our own.That union gave birth to our Creole identity.The opening of Seychelles International Airport in 1971 was more than an engineering achievement – it was an act of imagination. It said: we will not be defined by our remoteness. We will reach out, and the world will reach back. Five years later, Independence gave that vision its fullest expression. On the 29th of June 1976, we did not simply gain a flag. We claimed our future.And what a future we have built.In the early years of nationhood, we made choices that continue to shape the character of this country. We said that education would not be a privilege for the few – it would be the birthright of every child born under our sun. We said that when a Seychellois falls ill, no one would be turned away from care for want of money. We pledged that our elderly would never again have to beg, and that they would live out their final years – and die – with dignity. These were not small decisions. They were declarations of principle – a statement of the kind of nation we intended to be.We built Air Seychelles and stitched our scattered islands together. We developed our ports and opened ourselves to trade. We turned to the sea – not with fear, but with wisdom – building a fisheries sector that feeds us, employs us, and sustains us. And through it all, we held fast to the belief that no community should be left behind, that development must reach every shore.In the 1990s, we deepened our democracy. We adopted a constitution that enshrined the rights of every citizen, affirmed the rule of law, and entrenched the principles of pluralism and inclusion. We understood then – as we understand now – that a nation is not strong despite its differences. It is strong because of how it holds them together.As the new millennium arrived, Seychelles found its voice on the world stage – and it was a voice that spoke with clarity and courage.We protected our land and our ocean with a determination that earned us global admiration. We championed the cause of Small Island Developing States – nations like ours, whose contribution to global warming is negligible, yet whose very existence is threatened by its consequences. In the halls of the United Nations, in the chambers of SADC, in every forum where the fate of our blue planet is debated, Seychelles has spoken – and has been heard.We pioneered the concept of the Blue Economy, proving to the world that sustainability and prosperity are not in conflict – they are one and the same. The ocean that surrounds us is not merely a resource. It is our identity, our responsibility, and our greatest inheritance.But I want to speak now of something that cannot be measured in policy documents or economic reports. I want to speak of who we are.When the drums sound at Festival Kreol and voices rise in the language our grandparents gave us; when fishermen set out before dawn on waters their fathers knew; when families gather on Sunday and the smell of curry mingles with salt air – this is Seychelles. This is who we are.Our culture is not a relic to be preserved under glass. It is alive. It breathes. And it is – in an age of relentless globalisation – our most powerful anchor. Let us keep it. Not just in our hearts, but in our homes, our schools, our songs.On this historic day, I wish to pay special tribute to President France-Albert René, who began the struggle for our independence, and to Sir James Mancham, who later, in his political journey, joined hands with Mr. René to negotiate the independence of our beloved Seychelles.History will forever remember them as two great Seychellois statesmen whose leadership, at the dawn of Independence, helped lay the foundations of the modern Seychellois nation.We also recognise the contributions of all former Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Ministers, Members of the National Assembly, public servants, community leaders and all those who have served the Republic in different capacities. Across different periods of our history and under different circumstances, each has contributed to the development of Seychelles and to the advancement of our people.History teaches us that no single generation builds a nation alone. Nation-building is a continuous endeavour, carried forward by successive generations, each adding its own chapter to the national story.Today, as we celebrate our Golden Jubilee, let us therefore look upon our past with maturity, confidence and generosity. Let us draw strength from what unites us rather than dwell on what has divided us.The next chapter of Seychelles cannot be written through division. It cannot be written through suspicion, bitterness or the politics of yesterday. It must be written through dialogue, mutual respect and a shared commitment to the common good.For while we may hold different views, belong to different political parties, come from different islands, communities or backgrounds, we remain one people. We share one history. We fly one flag. We call one nation home.As we cross the bridge from our first fifty years into our second fifty years of independence, let us do so together, united not by uniformity of opinion, but by a common belief in the future of Seychelles and in one another.The greatest gift we can offer the next generation is not merely prosperity. It is unity. It is stability. It is a country confident enough in itself to move forward as one people with one destiny.Today, however, is not only a day of remembrance. It is a day of commitment.The next fifty years will be shaped by forces we are only beginning to understand – the accelerating pace of technological change, the deepening climate emergency, the shifting contours of the global economy and new geopolitical realities.. These are not challenges we can wish away. They demand of us a new boldness, a new imagination, and an unwavering unity of purpose.For our culture is the compass that will guide our children when the winds of change blow hardest.These fifty years have also tested us.We have faced economic storms, global crises, and threats we could not have anticipated. There were times when the road narrowed and the horizon grew uncertain. But in every moment of difficulty, Seychellois turned to one another. We shared what we had. We held each other up. And we endured – not because we had no choice, but because that is who we are.Resilience is not the absence of struggle. It is the refusal to be conquered by it. And on that measure, this nation has never been defeated.Many of those who witnessed the birth of our nation in 1976 are with us today. Others have since passed on. On this Golden Jubilee, we remember them with gratitude and affection. Their dreams, sacrifices and determination continue to live on in the Republic they helped build. Their legacy is present in every school, every community, every institution and every opportunity that Seychelles enjoys today.Before we look to the future, it is only right that we pause to honour those who made this day possible.Fifty years ago, a generation of Seychellois took upon itself the immense responsibility of building a new nation. They inherited not certainty, but possibility. They inherited not a finished country, but the opportunity to create one.To the men and women who stood beneath our flag on that historic day in June 1976; to those who guided our nation through the birth of Independence; to those who served in public office, in our schools, hospitals, security services, businesses, churches and communities; and to the countless Seychellois whose quiet sacrifices and daily efforts helped build the nation we celebrate today – we offer our deepest gratitude.Their generation believed in this country. They believed that these islands, though small in size, could be great in ambition. The freedoms we enjoy, the institutions we rely upon, and the opportunities available to our children today are part of their enduring legacy.As we commemorate fifty years of independence, we must also acknowledge the contributions of all those who have been entrusted with the leadership of our nation throughout this journey.We must invest in our young people – not merely in their education, but in their confidence. The Seychellois of tomorrow must believe – deeply and without reservation – that their ideas matter, that their ambitions are legitimate, and that these islands are a place where greatness is possible.We must protect our ocean with even greater resolve, knowing that what we steward here ripples outward to the whole of humanity. And we must engage the world not as supplicants, but as equals – proud of our story, clear in our values, and generous in our vision.Nation-building is not the work of presidents or parliaments alone. It is the work of every Seychellois who chooses integrity over convenience, community over self, and hope over cynicism. Every child who goes to school with curiosity. Every worker who takes pride in their craft. Every citizen who holds their neighbour’s dignity as sacred as their own. This is how nations are truly built — not in grand gestures, but in ten thousand quiet acts of commitment every single day.Each of us carries a piece of Seychelles within us. Each of us is responsible for what it becomes.Fifty years ago, those who came before us made a leap of faith. They looked at these scattered islands – beautiful, remote, improbable – and dared to believe that something extraordinary could grow here.They were right.Because what they built was more than a country. They built a home. A place where generations of Seychellois could dream, belong and prosper. They gave us not only a nation, but a responsibility to preserve it, strengthen it and pass it on better than we found it. It is because of them that Seychelles today enjoys the highest standard of living in Africa.And now it falls to us – to this generation, in this moment – to make our own leap of faith. To look at the next fifty years not with anxiety, but with the same audacious belief: that the best of Seychelles is still ahead of us.Let us go forward together – one people, under one sky, with one unshakeable conviction: that these islands and the people who call them home are, and will always remain, something rare and precious in this world.Today, as our flag flies proudly across these islands and in the hearts of Seychellois around the world, let us celebrate not only what we have achieved, but who we have become. Let us honour our past, cherish our present and embrace our future with confidence, unity and hope.Happy 50th Independence Day, Seychelles.May God bless you all, and may God bless our beloved Republic.

Your Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India;

Your Excellency Dr. the Honourable Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius, and Mrs. Veena Ramgoolam;

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Invited Guests, My Fellow Seychellois, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great honour and pleasure to welcome you to Seychelles as we commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of our Independence.

Your presence on this historic occasion is a great honour to our nation and a reflection of the enduring friendships and partnerships that Seychelles has nurtured with countries across the world over the past five decades. We are deeply grateful that you have joined us to celebrate this important milestone in our nation’s history.

Fifty years ago, Seychelles took its rightful place among the community of nations as a sovereign and independent Republic. Since then, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to friendship, mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and constructive international cooperation.

The progress we celebrate today has been made possible through the resilience and determination of the Seychellois people, strengthened by the friendship, solidarity and cooperation of our international partners. For this, we express our sincere gratitude.

As we celebrate this Golden Jubilee, we reaffirm our commitment to strengthening the bonds of friendship that unite our countries and to working together in pursuit of a more peaceful, prosperous and sustainable future.

Once again, welcome to Seychelles, and thank you for honouring us with your presence on this memorable occasion.

As we celebrate fifty years of our nation’s independence, it is only fitting that I continue this address in our mother tongue, Kreol Seselwa, the language that reflects our identity, our heritage and the enduring spirit of our people.

Fifty years ago, I still remember it vividly. I was a 12-year-old boy. On my own, I made my way to “Stad Popiler” to witness the birth of my country, Seychelles.

For the very first time, our flag – the flag of Seychelles, blue, white and red –was raised beneath the skies of the Indian Ocean, making a declaration to the world: We are free. Seychelles is free. Our people are free.

At long last, after many years of struggle, Seychelles had attained its sovereignty.

There are moments in the life of a nation that transcend the passage of time –moments that belong not just to those who lived them, but to every generation that follows. Today is such a moment. The Golden Jubilee of our independence is not merely a date on a calendar. It is a reckoning with who we are, a celebration of how far we have come, and a solemn promise about where we are going.

I stand before you today not only as your President, but as a Seychellois – one among you – humbled and moved by the weight of this occasion and the beauty of this people.

Long before the world took notice of these islands, our ancestors – Creole, African, Asian, European – arrived on these shores and chose to build something together. They brought with them different stories, different tongues, different faiths. And from that extraordinary diversity, they forged something rare: a people at peace with one another, a culture uniquely and irreplaceably our own.

That union gave birth to our Creole identity.

The opening of Seychelles International Airport in 1971 was more than an engineering achievement – it was an act of imagination. It said: we will not be defined by our remoteness. We will reach out, and the world will reach back. Five years later, Independence gave that vision its fullest expression. On the 29th of June 1976, we did not simply gain a flag. We claimed our future.

And what a future we have built.

In the early years of nationhood, we made choices that continue to shape the character of this country. We said that education would not be a privilege for the few – it would be the birthright of every child born under our sun. We said that when a Seychellois falls ill, no one would be turned away from care for want of money. We pledged that our elderly would never again have to beg, and that they would live out their final years – and die – with dignity. These were not small decisions. They were declarations of principle – a statement of the kind of nation we intended to be.

We built Air Seychelles and stitched our scattered islands together. We developed our ports and opened ourselves to trade. We turned to the sea – not with fear, but with wisdom – building a fisheries sector that feeds us, employs us, and sustains us. And through it all, we held fast to the belief that no community should be left behind, that development must reach every shore.

In the 1990s, we deepened our democracy. We adopted a constitution that enshrined the rights of every citizen, affirmed the rule of law, and entrenched the principles of pluralism and inclusion. We understood then – as we understand now – that a nation is not strong despite its differences. It is strong because of how it holds them together.

As the new millennium arrived, Seychelles found its voice on the world stage – and it was a voice that spoke with clarity and courage.

We protected our land and our ocean with a determination that earned us global admiration. We championed the cause of Small Island Developing States – nations like ours, whose contribution to global warming is negligible, yet whose very existence is threatened by its consequences. In the halls of the United Nations, in the chambers of SADC, in every forum where the fate of our blue planet is debated, Seychelles has spoken – and has been heard.

We pioneered the concept of the Blue Economy, proving to the world that sustainability and prosperity are not in conflict – they are one and the same. The ocean that surrounds us is not merely a resource. It is our identity, our responsibility, and our greatest inheritance.

But I want to speak now of something that cannot be measured in policy documents or economic reports. I want to speak of who we are.

When the drums sound at Festival Kreol and voices rise in the language our grandparents gave us; when fishermen set out before dawn on waters their fathers knew; when families gather on Sunday and the smell of curry mingles with salt air – this is Seychelles. This is who we are.

Our culture is not a relic to be preserved under glass. It is alive. It breathes. And it is – in an age of relentless globalisation – our most powerful anchor. Let us keep it. Not just in our hearts, but in our homes, our schools, our songs.

On this historic day, I wish to pay special tribute to President France-Albert René, who began the struggle for our independence, and to Sir James Mancham, who later, in his political journey, joined hands with Mr. René to negotiate the independence of our beloved Seychelles.

History will forever remember them as two great Seychellois statesmen whose leadership, at the dawn of Independence, helped lay the foundations of the modern Seychellois nation.

We also recognise the contributions of all former Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Ministers, Members of the National Assembly, public servants, community leaders and all those who have served the Republic in different capacities. Across different periods of our history and under different circumstances, each has contributed to the development of Seychelles and to the advancement of our people.

History teaches us that no single generation builds a nation alone. Nation-building is a continuous endeavour, carried forward by successive generations, each adding its own chapter to the national story.

Today, as we celebrate our Golden Jubilee, let us therefore look upon our past with maturity, confidence and generosity. Let us draw strength from what unites us rather than dwell on what has divided us.

The next chapter of Seychelles cannot be written through division. It cannot be written through suspicion, bitterness or the politics of yesterday. It must be written through dialogue, mutual respect and a shared commitment to the common good.

For while we may hold different views, belong to different political parties, come from different islands, communities or backgrounds, we remain one people. We share one history. We fly one flag. We call one nation home.

As we cross the bridge from our first fifty years into our second fifty years of independence, let us do so together, united not by uniformity of opinion, but by a common belief in the future of Seychelles and in one another.

The greatest gift we can offer the next generation is not merely prosperity. It is unity. It is stability. It is a country confident enough in itself to move forward as one people with one destiny.

Today, however, is not only a day of remembrance. It is a day of commitment.

The next fifty years will be shaped by forces we are only beginning to understand – the accelerating pace of technological change, the deepening climate emergency, the shifting contours of the global economy and new geopolitical realities.. These are not challenges we can wish away. They demand of us a new boldness, a new imagination, and an unwavering unity of purpose.

For our culture is the compass that will guide our children when the winds of change blow hardest.

These fifty years have also tested us.

We have faced economic storms, global crises, and threats we could not have anticipated. There were times when the road narrowed and the horizon grew uncertain. But in every moment of difficulty, Seychellois turned to one another. We shared what we had. We held each other up. And we endured – not because we had no choice, but because that is who we are.

Resilience is not the absence of struggle. It is the refusal to be conquered by it. And on that measure, this nation has never been defeated.

Many of those who witnessed the birth of our nation in 1976 are with us today. Others have since passed on. On this Golden Jubilee, we remember them with gratitude and affection. Their dreams, sacrifices and determination continue to live on in the Republic they helped build. Their legacy is present in every school, every community, every institution and every opportunity that Seychelles enjoys today.

Before we look to the future, it is only right that we pause to honour those who made this day possible.

Fifty years ago, a generation of Seychellois took upon itself the immense responsibility of building a new nation. They inherited not certainty, but possibility. They inherited not a finished country, but the opportunity to create one.

To the men and women who stood beneath our flag on that historic day in June 1976; to those who guided our nation through the birth of Independence; to those who served in public office, in our schools, hospitals, security services, businesses, churches and communities; and to the countless Seychellois whose quiet sacrifices and daily efforts helped build the nation we celebrate today – we offer our deepest gratitude.

Their generation believed in this country. They believed that these islands, though small in size, could be great in ambition. The freedoms we enjoy, the institutions we rely upon, and the opportunities available to our children today are part of their enduring legacy.

As we commemorate fifty years of independence, we must also acknowledge the contributions of all those who have been entrusted with the leadership of our nation throughout this journey.

We must invest in our young people – not merely in their education, but in their confidence. The Seychellois of tomorrow must believe – deeply and without reservation – that their ideas matter, that their ambitions are legitimate, and that these islands are a place where greatness is possible.

We must protect our ocean with even greater resolve, knowing that what we steward here ripples outward to the whole of humanity. And we must engage the world not as supplicants, but as equals – proud of our story, clear in our values, and generous in our vision.

Nation-building is not the work of presidents or parliaments alone. It is the work of every Seychellois who chooses integrity over convenience, community over self, and hope over cynicism. Every child who goes to school with curiosity. Every worker who takes pride in their craft. Every citizen who holds their neighbour’s dignity as sacred as their own. This is how nations are truly built — not in grand gestures, but in ten thousand quiet acts of commitment every single day.

Each of us carries a piece of Seychelles within us. Each of us is responsible for what it becomes.

Fifty years ago, those who came before us made a leap of faith. They looked at these scattered islands – beautiful, remote, improbable – and dared to believe that something extraordinary could grow here.

Because what they built was more than a country. They built a home. A place where generations of Seychellois could dream, belong and prosper. They gave us not only a nation, but a responsibility to preserve it, strengthen it and pass it on better than we found it. It is because of them that Seychelles today enjoys the highest standard of living in Africa.

And now it falls to us – to this generation, in this moment – to make our own leap of faith. To look at the next fifty years not with anxiety, but with the same audacious belief: that the best of Seychelles is still ahead of us.

Let us go forward together – one people, under one sky, with one unshakeable conviction: that these islands and the people who call them home are, and will always remain, something rare and precious in this world.

Today, as our flag flies proudly across these islands and in the hearts of Seychellois around the world, let us celebrate not only what we have achieved, but who we have become. Let us honour our past, cherish our present and embrace our future with confidence, unity and hope.

Happy 50th Independence Day, Seychelles.

May God bless you all, and may God bless our beloved Republic.