Di island paradise wey heroin dey show shege

Some 10% of di local population for di tropical island nation of Seychelles dey dependent on heroin and dis tin don become epidemic, according to di kontri goment. Even to lock pipo wey depend on di drug no offer dem protection. BBC Africa Eye gain rare access to di main jail to witness di sharp end of one problem wey dey threaten to overwhelm di kontri.

Montagne Posée Prison na Seychelles' main correctional facility.

At di entrance to di place where dem keep di prisoners, afta going through many gates wey dey locked and passing miles of coiled barbed wire, four-metre-high mural of Nelson Mandela dey on di office block wall.

Beside di smiling face of di late South African president wey also be ex-prisoner, one English quote dey dia: di pidgin translation na: "Dem tok say nobodi know a nation until pesin don enta dia jails."

And na true, in many ways dis prison na reflection of wetin dey go on for Seychelles beyond dia luxury five-star branding.

We dey here to meet one of di inmates, Jude Jean, but dem first take di BBC team to wetin di prisoners tell us say na bit of show cell for visitors. E clean but e dey cramped.

Eight beds dey dia, four on each side - one dey on top di oda witout space to sit up straight. For di same room one toilet and shower dey - privacy no dey.

Kitchen wey don spoil dey dia. Rotten fit guts block di drain, di smell too much but di flies dey enjoy di feast.

Di main cellblock dey. Di darkness too much. Na early afternoon yet daylight no dey, small bulbs for one nearby corridor show small light. Di prisoners use cardbox boxes to create privacy behind di bars of dia open-fronted cells. Some of dem dey so small so tey dem look more like cages and dirty mattresses dey on di floor.

Class A narcotics dey also flow through dis cells.

Prison no offer any protection from wetin dey happun outside.

Seychelles dey face wetin don become epidemic.

E dey estimated say around 10% of di Seychellois population dey hooked on heroin so tey dem dey bring foreign workers to do di work wey drug-dependent locals no fit do.

For inside jail, dem dey rotate Tanzanian guards onto di staff so dem go fit solve corruption and di flow of heroin into di cells - but e no dey work.

Corruption, drugs and prison

Even President Wavel Ramkalawan admit say di prison no dey fit for purpose.

"Wen you get dat kind mess, dis na di breeding ground for corruption on di part of di officers. And once you get corruption, den drug go continue to enta prison," e tell BBC from State House for di capital, Victoria. E tok say im dey plan to build new jail.

E acknowledge say "di drug situation dey very bad".

"At dis point in time, per capital, as far as consumption of heroin dey concerned, Seychelles na number one for di world. And dis no be statistic wey give me personally great pleasure."

Na visitor day for prison and Jude wey dey on remand for theft dey wait for im mama.

Di family room dey outside - na concrete courtyard surrounded by wire-mesh fencing wit plastic furniture.

Jude dey likeable - warm and friendly, confident but humble. E also dey dependent on drugs.

"I dey ashamed to tok am but you know, I be addict," e tell us, "and e no dey easy."

Today as e take im seat, im eyelids look too heavy for am. Despite say im dey prison, e don manage to get im heroin fix dat morning, as well as some spliffs.

Jude don dey in and out of prison for more dan ten years, mostly for theft to feed im habit.

Im mama Ravinia don cope wit dis, as well as anoda terrible tragedy.

She be bubbly woman; her smile light up the room and her laugh dey larger dan life.

She work hard for years running one fast-food outlet, trying to provide for her four pikin dem and give dem good life.

But heroin take all of dat away.

For 2011, dem see Ravinia eldest son Tony where e hang. Im death na still mystery, but Tony bin dey heavily involved for heroin, and im mama get no doubt say im death and di drug dey linked togeda. She no believe say her son take im own life.

As she speak, she look one million miles away, pain and confusion dey across her face.

'Be strong, mum'

She still dey baffled how two of her sons go down dis path.

"Even if you tell me not to blame myself, I gazz blame myself," she tok. And so many mothers across di kontri feel di same.

When Ravinia see Jude, her mood and smile brighten.

"I dey happy to see you my son," she tok as she hugs him tightly.

"I dey happy to see you too Mum," Jude smile back.

As dem sit down, she tell us: "You know we talk, even though I know e dey lie to me sometimes, we talk, we be friends!"

But the strain soon shows. As she breaks down in tears, Jude wipes away his own, and tells her: "Be strong mum, be strong."

And she dey strong.

She be Jude's rock and you can see how much e mean to am, but ova di years e don trouble am.

"We no get anytin nowadays sake of say everytin don go. E even take my chequebook and start [writing] cheques," she explain.

"E take everytin... I remember once we no even get bedsheets. Everytin e see, e just take am and sell am for drugs."

Di first time Jude go prison Ravinia dey relieved, but her respite no last, she tok am as if she bin send am to "one school for criminals".

Promising to change

Wen im dey inside, Ravinia also dey forced to fund her son's drug habit as im "dey take drugs on credit".

She say she "gazz pay sake of say dem go send pipo to collect dia moni" and dem go make threats. Na Jude go tell dem say, go to my parents, dem go pay for me.

"Dem go threaten you. Dem go say dem go kill am."

Jude know how lucky im dey to get dis kain mama.

"Tank you, mum, say you dey dia for me, I know say wit you dia, one day I go be beta pesin. I wan be beta pesin."

"Do am before e too late," Ravinia tell am through her tears.

Jude promise her say e go change. She no dey convinced but she no go give up on am.

Jail no be di ideal place to recover but e no dey impossible. Dem get methadone programme, wey fit dey used to treat heroin dependency, and some limited counselling sessions but Jude wan do am.

Methadone also dey available to users outside prison. E dey free to anyone wey dey registered, dis show di extend of di epidemic.

For Victoria, every morning one white van wit distribution window for di side make severa stops around di city, where long queues form as pipo from all walks of life wait to get dia medicine.

Surprisingly, for nation wey heroin dey sow shege, methadone na di only consistent support available to drug users.

For many Seychellois though, dis daily dose na nothing more dan a free morning hit wey dey very dangerous. Using methadone and heroin at di same time fit lead to fatal overdose.

Taking methadone without detox plan and counselling na rarely good long term recovery solution. Despite dis, political decisions don lead to di closure of all residential rehabilitation centres across di islands.

Di president, wey don dey office for two years now, blame former presidents for di lack of much needed in-patient care.

Im tok say politics get in di way of dealing wit di issue under di previous administration.

"But we don receive grant from di UAE to build proper rehabilitation centre. And so we dey go dat direction," Oga Ramkalawan tok.

Cottage drug industry

Heroin mostly come into Seychelles from Afghanistan and Iran by boat - through dia vast, porous water borders. Wit almost one million square kilometres of territorial seas, smugglers get easy access.

Once e land, dem dey mostly sell am for small, improvised shops for di back of pipo homes for di kontri many ghettos.

Na basically cottage industry, and whole communities dey involved.

Drive five minutes off any main street - past di fancy hotels and expensive restaurants - and you fit see for yourself. Dis drug dey everywhere, and di fear be say, di worse neva come.

While heroin remain di front runner, for now at least sake of say e dey relatively cheap, new players dey for di market.

Dem don dey use crack cocaine and crystal meth and dem no fit treat any of dem wit methadone.

For prison, some days afta im mama visit am, Jude decide to keep im promise and give recovery anoda go.

Im dey take big step and trying to register for di prison's methadone programme - but no be everyone qualify.

Jude arrive at di prison medical centre visibly high. Wen di nurse test im urine for heroin, e no dey surprising say e come back positive.

Dem tell am say e gazz stop di drug altogether to dey admitted onto di methadone programme. Im agree.

Di next day im queues wit im fellow inmates and take im first dose.

Jude also dey enrolled onto one counselling programme to give am di best chance to get well.

Im mama Ravinia don dey disappointed so many times before - but she dey pray hard - say dis time e stick.

Di BBC Africa Eye film Seychelles, heroin and Me dey on BBC Africa's YouTube page.