Mauritius - Music

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Music is an important part of life in Réunion and enjoys considerable government funding aimed at keeping Creole culture alive. The main traditional styles are séga and maloya, which stem from the island’s African roots. These are often blended with modern European styles. The séga is shared with Mauritius, although each island has its own variations.

Séga blends tropical rhythms with European instruments like violin, accordion and the banjo. The songs usually deal with slavery, island life and romance. Maloya was born in the slave communities of the 18th century, and the lyrics traditionally express misery and anger. The rhythm is African and the instruments are percussion. Vocals tend to be plaintive and repetitive, and the style is often compared to the blues. For many years it was forbidden to sing maloya in public but those days are gone and recently maloya has enjoyed a surge in popularity. The best-known maloya artists include the late Gramoun Lele and Daniel Waro. Leading popular bands who combine maloya with other (Western) styles are Ti Fock (jazz maloya), Baster and Ousa Nousava (electric maloya), and Natty Dread (local reggae).

Séga and maloya are combined with reggae to produce séggae and maloggae respectively. Popular Mauritian musician Kaya was a pioneer of séggae until his controversial death in 1998 (see box Kaya, page 167). Zouk, from the Caribbean islands, is also popular and frequently played in nightclubs. It has a slower rhythm than séga and maloya and romance is usually the theme.

Réunion regularly hosts music festivals combining performances by foreign and local artists. Best known of these is KabaRéunion, held each October over ten days to celebrate the World Music Movement. Visitors may also have the opportunity to attend one of the numerous concerts simply entitled ‘Kabar’, which are organised by associations, clubs, neighbourhoods or private individuals. These are normally free and feature mostly unknown musicians from Réunion. The atmosphere is decidedly ‘underground’.

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Mauritius - Music

Reunion

Mauritius - Music