The Creative Seychelles Agency Bal Bobes event has raised concerns among some organisers in the country’s creative industry.
The concerns follow an announcement on Sunday, 15 March, that the government entity will host a paid dance event titled “Bal Bobes.”
A poster circulating online states that the event will take place on 30 April at the NSC Hall. Tickets will cost SCR 250. The poster lists several performers who will appear at the event. These include artists from genres such as dancehall, sega, kamtole and moutya.
However, several local organisers have contacted Victoria Scope to question the initiative.
One organiser, who asked to remain anonymous, questioned whether authorities issued a public tender for the event.
“I have not seen or heard of any tender regarding this event,” the organiser said.
Another organiser also asked not to be named. The organiser said people in the industry fear possible victimisation.
“It would have been ideal if the Creative Seychelles Agency met with all of us before organising an event competing with us, which is already a competitive industry,” the organiser said.
Questions over venue and organisation
At the same time, the initiative has raised questions about the use of NSC Hall for entertainment events.
Before 2025 Beach Soccer World Cup, the venue hosted several music shows for both local and international artists. However, authorities later ceased such events during the Beach Soccer World Cup, when the facility was converted into office space.
At this stage, it remains unclear how much the Creative Seychelles Agency will spend to host the event or whether authorities issued a tender to organise it.
It is also unclear whether Tsunami, listed as a co-organiser on the poster, operates as a legally registered business that pays taxes.
A search on the online business name registration platform returned no results.
No public comment yet
So far, the Creative Seychelles Agency has not issued a public statement about the event.
Apart from the poster circulating online, no further details about the Bal Bobes dance event have been released.