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Musique, danses, chanteurs...
This evening, a friend told me she was playing the drums for some sort of concert. We both weren't really sure what this would involve, but she asked me to come along for support. It turned out, I'd come to a 'cultural celebration of Réunion' evening.
Before arriving in Réunion, I'd never heard of any of the local dances or music. Having learnt a bit about them in my 'Réunion culture' class, this evening I got to see them being performed first hand. At this event there were drum performances, solo singers, group dancers and more! All of the acts were appreciating Réunion culture and heritage, and I enjoyed being able to learn more whilst witnessing this celebration.
I also got to witness the fascinating Moringue Combat dance, which I'd actually never heard of before, it is a weaponless, bare-fisted striking style of traditional martial art accompanied by music.
The two traditional styles of music; Maloya and Sega. Maloya truly represents the Creole spirit but it has a lot of history. It arrived on the island at the same time as the black slaves were brought from Africa to work in the sugar cane fields. Maloya still holds onto its African roots and is played on traditional instruments:
- the roulèr (a large drum, on top of which the musician is seated)
- the bobre (a musical bow with a calabash acting as the resonator)
- the kayamb (a percussive instrument made from wood and sugar cane stems filled with seeds)
- the pikèr (bamboo, which the musician hits with two sticks).
With its short and punctuated tempo and accompanied dancing, this music was invented invented by slaves as a means of glorifying their ancestors, but also as a way to sing away their painful daily lives. In fact, the colonial administration, and later the Republic, banned Maloya until the 1970s, believing that it risked invoking a desire for independence from mainland France, thus it was played in secret until then. However nowadays (since 2009) Maloya has been listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Sega originated more in Mauritius, using instruments like a ravanne (a type of tambourine), known as the music of celebration, seduction and sensuality. To this day modern styles of both Sega and Maloya are invented, representing the true appreciation for Réunion culture and heritage.