New Book being published: - Alain St.Ange - My Journey, an autobiography.

‘I did My Autobiography My Way’ I wrote on the back cover of the new book “Alain St.Ange, My Journey”

Work on my autobiography is being completed before moving to the final stage for printing.

Work on that book was delayed ensuring the family ancestry book “Alain & Ginette St.Ange – Family Ties” was published. “Knowing where you come from helps to better appreciate oneself. This is one of the reasons why I dedicated so much effort to trace my family to the beginning of their Seychelles era”.

“Alain St.Ange, My Journey” chronicles my life from the La Digue Island boy, who was brought up to become a loving father and grandfather, and who rose through the ranks with hard work, tenacity, and an un-wavering passion for Seychelles.

This is a personal story, not only about a life that I’ve been proud to live, but about my family that helped shaped me into the man I became.

This work is inspired by the desire to continue to document and preserve the rich history of our families for future generations. It’s said that most of us will be forgotten within 4 generations; hopefully this book can help our descendants understand where we came from and not to forget those that came before us.

I am writing my autobiography now as time waits for no one, and I’m at the best stage of my life to reflect and dedicate the time required. I’m proud of my story and felt it may well inspire others. This knowledge kept me working and kept me digging through family historical records. Today, I realise more than ever before, the pains and tribulations of past generations. From as far back as those who were slaves, where even the family name was adapted to the one who freed them, to today only six generations later, to participate in the Nation’s Presidential Elections.

The saying that ‘Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path’ can be seen as true and real in the case of the St.Ange family. The many challenges I faced will be seen in this autobiography.

Politics is a dirty game and because of my political involvement, many followers, and activists from one side or the other regularly cast stones at me as they needed to try and cut me down. I wanted change for Seychelles because I knew that if nothing changed then nothing would change.

I knew that I needed to be the change I wanted to see for Seychelles, and not remain static or tied to any one party. People change, and political charters change. To blindly follow a party for no reason other than it used to align with my values, is not change. I knew throughout my years in active politics that it didn’t matter what people said behind my back or, in later years on social media, because they were trying to find faults in my life instead of fixing the many faults in their own lives. I decided early on never to take criticism from people that I would never go to for advice.

I was born on the 24th October 1954, and through this autobiography I recount what I saw as I witnessed the many changes that took place in Seychelles. I lived through an accelerated period of development of the islands as well as major political and constitutional changes that saw Seychelles move from a British Colony, through to Independence, the short lived First Republic, the Coup D’Etat, the Second Republic and the Third Republic.

I also recount my own, as well as that of various members of my family’s involvement in the political life of Seychelles through the different eras that the country went through. The research undertaken for my autobiography enabled me to discover myself, as well as my family’s achievements, ensuring that the St.Ange family generations to come will better understand their proud legacy.

“YOU MAY SAY I’M A DREAMER, BUT I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE. I HOPE SOME DAY YOU’LL JOIN US, AND THE WORLD WILL LIVE AS ONE”

I re-echoed these famous words of John Lennon at the opening of the first edition of the ‘Carnaval International de Victoria’ in 2011, and even today, these words continue to guide me. I’ve lived a full life with no what-ifs and have remained true to myself throughout. What more can one ask from life?