- Maloya
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Maloya is one of the two major music genres of Réunion, usually sung in Réunion Creole, traditionally with a purely percussion accompaniment.[1] It has origins in the music of slaves on the island, as has the other folk music of Réunion, sega. It is sometimes compared to the American music, the blues.[2]
Contents
Description
Compared to sega, maloya can be slow and reflective.[3] Like the blues, maloya is based on a chant-response structure.[4]
Instruments
Traditional instruments include:
- roulé - cylindrical drum
- Kayamb - rattle
- piké - bamboo ideophone
- bobre - musical bow
Themes
Maloya songs are often politically oriented[3] and their lyrical themes are often slavery and poverty.[3]
Origins
It is often presented as having purely African origins.[6] However, recently, possible influence from the sacred drumming in Tamil religious festivals has been identified, making maloya a hybrid genre, not just African but also incorporating Indian elements.[6]
History
Maloya was banned until the sixties because of its strong association with creole culture.[2] Performances by some maloya groups were banned until the eighties, partly because of their autonomist beliefs and association with the Communist Party of Réunion[5] Nowadays, one of the most famous maloya musicians is Danyel Waro who resists the addition of non-traditional instruments into his repertoire.[2] His teacher, Firmin Viry, is credited as having stopped maloya from becoming extinct.[2] According to Françoise Vergès, the first public performance of maloya was by Firmin Wiry at the founding of the Communist Party[7] Maloya was adopted as method of political and social protest by Creole poets such as Waro, and later by groups such as Ziskakan.[1] Since the start of the 1980s, maloya groups, such as Ziskakan, Baster, Firmin Viry, Granmoun Baba, Rwa Kaff and Ti Fock, some mixing maloya with other genres such as sega, zouk, reggae, jazz and rock, have had recognition outside the island.[8]
Cultural signficance
Maloya was inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO for France.[9]
See also
- Sega music, the other traditional music of Réunion
- Music of Réunion
- List of Réunionnais
- List of blues genres#Blues-like genres
References
- ^ a b Encyclopedia of contemporary French culture. Taylor & Francis. 2001. p. 225. ISBN 0415263549, 9780415263542. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TrhClZg65EsC&pg=PA225&dq=baster+reunion&hl=en&ei=2dYXTPTDK9WosQaFy4TwCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CFEQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=baster%20reunion&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
- ^ a b c d Nidel, Richard (2005). World music: the basics. Routledge. p. 30. ISBN 0415968003, 9780415968003. http://books.google.de/books?id=Hxa2o05_d2sC&pg=PA59&dq=maloya+music&client=firefox-a#v=onepage&q=maloya%20music&f=false. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
- ^ a b c Mauritius, Réunion & Seychelles. Lonely Planet. 2007. p. 45. ISBN 1741047277, 9781741047271. http://books.google.de/books?id=x6dxoKuhDIIC&pg=PA44&dq=origin+sega+music&client=firefox-a#v=onepage&q=origin%20sega%20music&f=false. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
- ^ Hawkins, Peter (2007). The other hybrid archipelago: introduction to the literatures and cultures of the francophone Indian Ocean. Lexington Books. p. 135. ISBN 0739116762, 9780739116760. http://books.google.de/books?id=sa8MVme3hjsC&dq=maloya+music&client=firefox-a. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
- ^ a b The Garland encyclopedia of world music. Indiana University: Taylor & Francis. 1999. p. 30. ISBN 0824049462, 9780824049461. http://books.google.de/books?id=ZOlNv8MAXIEC&dq=sega+music&client=firefox-a&source=gbs_navlinks_s. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
- ^ a b Salhi, Kamal (2003). Francophone post-colonial cultures: critical essays. Lexington Books. pp. 471. ISBN 073910568X, 9780739105689. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Legc2mKR3-8C&pg=PA319&dq=baster+reunion&hl=en&ei=2dYXTPTDK9WosQaFy4TwCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CD4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=baster%20reunion&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
- ^ Francoise Verges, Monsters and Revolutionaries, pp.309–10, n.3
- ^ Frank Tenaille (2002). Music is the weapon of the future: fifty years of African popular music. Chicago Review Press. p. 92. ISBN 1556524501.
- ^ http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?RL=00249
External links
Genres of African popular music Categories:- Music of Réunion
- East African music
- French styles of music
- Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
- African music genres
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