3 - Creolised Musical Innovations in Indian Ocean Archipelagos: Maya Kamaty, Mélanie Perès, Grace Barbé

Maloya, Sega, Moutya, these music and dances from Mauritius, Reunion and the Seychelles respectively have long been associated with the creolisation of African, Asian and European cultures emerging from slavery and indenture in the Indian Ocean. Arising from this initial and violent globalisation that created rhythms both ostensibly kindred and unique to each island, these musical genres shed a light on Indian Ocean shared Creole heritage and its archipelagic manifestations. Since, other waves of globalisation have profoundly changed the way music is consumed and produced in these islands and worldwide. While there is a clear impetus to preserve the Creole habitus these musical genres represent, as evidenced by their recent inscriptions as UNESCO intangible heritage, young Mauritian, Reunionese and Seychellois musicians are also reinventing these traditional genres. This presentation discusses the innovative musical production of Maya Kamaty (Reunion), Mélanie Perès (Mauritius) and Grace Barbé (Australia/Seychelles) and examines how their music, distinctively inspired by their Indian Ocean Creole heritage, integrates, represents and adapts aspects of this heritage to speak to local and international audiences alike. By undertaking a critical analysis informed by archipelagic theory of these artists’ music production, their accompanied music-videos, and the festivals and venues in which they circulate, this paper retrieves the different assemblage of Asian, African and European cultures that bear on these artists’ music, and explores how they are redefining Indian Ocean Creole culture.