MAURITIUS: MAURITIUS' S TRADITIONAL SEGA MUSIC IS DEVELOPED FROM CREOLE SLAVE CULTURE

Record ID: 388140

  • Title: MAURITIUS: MAURITIUS' S TRADITIONAL SEGA MUSIC IS DEVELOPED FROM CREOLE SLAVE CULTURE
  • Date: 12th February 1999
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (French) JONATHAN LEGRIS SAYING: "When my friends tell me their problems I really listen and it stays with me. Then I write bits of music which tell of the problems of my friends, my neighbours and my family."
  • Embargoed: 27th February 1999 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: REUTERS TELEVISION
  • Country: Mauritius
  • Topics: Entertainment,General
  • Reuters ID: LVABKVTTOFXY2T0FQE48SSSRABI6
  • Story Text: Sega music - popular throughout the Creole communities from Mauritius to the Seychelles - could well be called "Indian Ocean Blues".
    Like the blues it was born in slavery.And like the blues - Sega was a way for slaves in the sugar fields of Mauritius to express their pain and suffering - and occasionally their happiness -through the common languages of music, song and dance.
    In the ethnic melting pot that is Mauritius, Sega is still a part of everyday life - particularly in poor Creole neighbourhoods where the memories of slavery are firmly rooted.
    The sugar factories and giant plantations on Mauritius are everyday reminders of the days when French settlers brought African slaves to work in the fields.
    The Creole language - developed by slaves from different parts of Africa as a common tongue - is at the heart of Sega music.
    On Mauritius Michel Legris is the undisputed king of Sega.A 67 year old descendant of slaves from Madagascar - he can neither read nor write and speaks only Creole.He composes his songs by ear and leaves others to transcribe the words and music.
    The Legris household in Rose Hill is alive with friends and family, children and pets and, of course music.Everyone on Mauritius seems to know the Legris family.
    Michel once earned his living cutting sugar cane in the fields.But now - in retirement - he can devote himself to his passion for Sega music and to crafting "ravannes" - the musical instrument around which Sega music is built.Sega - with its own language and rhythm - also has its own instruments, rudimentary but magical.
    The ravanne is a simple drum - goat skin stretched over a wooden frame.The marvanne is equally basic - seeds inside a stick of bamboo.The triangle is another integral part of the sound of Sega.
    Legris' eight children are growing up - like him - with the spirit of Sega.And his grand-children are beginning to learn as well.
    The Legris family believes firmly in the mystical powers of the ravanne -which they say can bring their ancestors back to life.The skin of the ravanne is warmed up with ritual devotion - creating better vibrations to wake up the souls of the old slaves.
    Sometimes the drumming and the heady mysticism can send Sea musicians into a trance.
    But Sea is not just about history and ancestors.The modern day hardships of poor Mauritian Creoles also find their way into the music.
    Friends and family, ancestors and modern day musicians have all come together recently to record a CD - a tribute to Michel Legris.
    Despite recording three albums and two singles, Michel Legris does not make money from the music he loves.Occasionally the family can earn a bit of money playing for tourists in hotels...but not enough to make it a career.
    It's the music not the money that's important to the Legris family.And that means - without the pressure to earn money - they can still enjoy the ritual and warmth of gathering around the ravanne...just as their African slave ancestors did hundreds of years ago.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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