Maloya
Encyclopedia
Maloya is one of the two major music genre
s of Réunion
, usually sung in Réunion Creole
, traditionally with a purely percussion accompaniment. 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
.
structure.
religious festivals has been identified, making maloya a hybrid genre, not just African but also incorporating Indian elements.
Nowadays, one of the most famous maloya musicians is Danyel Waro who resists the addition of non-traditional instruments into his repertoire. His teacher, Firmin Viry, is credited as having stopped maloya from becoming extinct. According to Françoise Vergès, the first public performance of maloya was by Firmin Wiry at the founding of the Communist Party Maloya was adopted as method of political and social protest by Creole poets such as Waro, and later by groups such as Ziskakan. 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.
of UNESCO
for France
.
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
s of Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
, usually sung in Réunion Creole
Réunion Creole
Réunion Creole or Reunionese Creole , or Créole Réunionnais in French is a creole language spoken on Réunion...
, traditionally with a purely percussion accompaniment. It has origins in the music of slaves on the island, as has the other folk music of Réunion, sega
Sega music
Sega music or Séga is the major music of the Mascarene Islands: Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues as well as of the Seychelles. Sega is similar to the Réunionnais music genre maloya. Another form of dance similar to the sega is the Seychellois moutya. Sega music originated among the slave...
. It is sometimes compared to the American music
American music
The music of the Americas is very diverse since, in addition to many types of Native American music, the music of Africa and the music of Europe have been found there for some five centuries, creating many hybrid forms that have influenced the popular music of the world.-See also:*Canadian...
, the blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
.
Description
Compared to sega, maloya can be slow and reflective. Like the blues, maloya is based on a chant-responseCall and response (music)
In music, a call and response is a succession of two distinct phrases usually played by different musicians, where the second phrase is heard as a direct commentary on or response to the first...
structure.
Instruments
Traditional instruments include:- roulé - cylindrical drum
- KayambKayambThe kayamba is a flat musical instrument used in the Mascarene Islands to play sega and maloya music. It is called maravanne in Mauritius....
- rattleRattle (percussion)A rattle is a percussion instrument. It consists of a hollow body filled with small uniform solid objects, like sand or nuts. Rhythmical shaking of this instrument produces repetitive, rather dry timbre noises. In some kinds of music, a rattle assumes the role of the metronome, as an alternative to... - piké - bamboo ideophoneIdeophoneIdeophones are words used by speakers to evoke a vivid impression of certain sensation or sensory perceptions, e.g. smell, color, shape, sound, action, or movement. Ideophones are attested in all languages of the world, however, languages differ in the extent to which they make use of them...
- bobreBobreThe bobre is a musical bow traditional in Mauritius and Réunion, particularly the traditional genres, sega and maloya.It is a long bow, made of wood with a vegetable fibre string, with a calabash acting as a resonator. It is played by striking the string with a stick.It is no longer used in...
- musical bowMusical bowThe musical bow is a simple string musical instrument most archaic cultures as well as in many in the present day. It consisting of a string supported by a flexible stick 1.5 to 10 feet long, and strung end to end with a taut cord. Usually made out of wood...
Themes
Maloya songs are often politically oriented and their lyrical themes are often slavery and poverty.Origins
It is often presented as having purely African origins. However, recently, possible influence from the sacred drumming in TamilTamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
religious festivals has been identified, making maloya a hybrid genre, not just African but also incorporating Indian elements.
History
Maloya was banned until the sixties because of its strong association with creole culture. Performances by some maloya groups were banned until the eighties, partly because of their autonomist beliefs and association with the Communist Party of RéunionCommunist Party of Réunion
The Communist Party of Réunion is a Communist political party in the French overseas department of Réunion . The party has one seat in the French National Assembly.-History:...
Nowadays, one of the most famous maloya musicians is Danyel Waro who resists the addition of non-traditional instruments into his repertoire. His teacher, Firmin Viry, is credited as having stopped maloya from becoming extinct. According to Françoise Vergès, the first public performance of maloya was by Firmin Wiry at the founding of the Communist Party Maloya was adopted as method of political and social protest by Creole poets such as Waro, and later by groups such as Ziskakan. Since the start of the 1980s, maloya groups, such as Ziskakan
Ziskakan
Ziskakan is a maloya group from Réunion. The frontman is Gilbert Pounia. They are one of the most famous bands from the island. The band formed in 1979. Their style includes adding modern techniques to traditional maloya , as well as adding Indian instruments...
, Baster
Baster (band)
Baster is a band which from Réunion founded in 1983. They perform sega, maloya and reggae. Their music has been described as electric maloya. They are one of the most popular maloya groups and perform a poetic and lyrical form of the genre....
, Firmin Viry, Granmoun Baba, Rwa Kaff and Ti Fock, some mixing maloya with other genres such as sega, zouk
Zouk
Zouk is a style of rhythmic music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local Antillean Creole of French, although the word originally referred to, and is still used to refer to, a popular dance, based on the Polish dance, the...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, have had recognition outside the island.
Cultural signficance
Maloya was inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of HumanityRepresentative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
The Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage are established by UNESCO aiming to ensure the better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance...
of UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
See also
- Sega musicSega musicSega music or Séga is the major music of the Mascarene Islands: Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues as well as of the Seychelles. Sega is similar to the Réunionnais music genre maloya. Another form of dance similar to the sega is the Seychellois moutya. Sega music originated among the slave...
, the other traditional music of Réunion - Music of RéunionMusic of RéunionRéunion is located east of Madagascar and is a province of France. Réunion is home to maloya and sega music, the latter along with neighbor Mauritius.-Maloya:...
- List of Réunionnais
- List of blues genres#Blues-like genres