The sound of Maloya is to be heard in the middle of the Indian Ocean, on the island of Réunion. The origins of this highly percussive and vocal music can be traced back to the time of slavery, where songs rose out of the sugar-cane plantations, weighed down with feeling and pain. In the melting-pot of malgache music and Indian culture, Maloya gradually developed into the Blues of Réunion. Danyèl Waro is the ambassador of this passionate, trance-like musical genre.
Committed and devoted musician, rebel poet drawn to social struggles and the defense of the oppressed, Danyèl Waro is one of those personalities who seize hold of your ears and your thoughts. With his high and powerful voice, this descendant of French colonialists sings in Creole of love and death, of today’s problems, of racism and the dominant French culture.
Until the 1980s, Maloya was forbidden because of its links with the independence movement and the communist party. Waro himself was imprisoned for dissident activities before becoming one of Réunion’s heroes. Thanks to him, Maloya is listened to today throughout the world and features in UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage. Danyèl Waro received the prestigious Womex Award for artists in 2010 for his achievements. His spiritual interpretation of Maloya seduces, fascinates and irresistibly invites you to join the dance and discover Creole culture.
- Danyel Waro: kayamb, vocals
- Stephane Gazé: kayamb, vocals
- Jean Didier Hoareau: kayamb, vocals
- Gilles Lauret: triangle, vocals
- Mikael Talpot: rouler, vocals
Afterparty in the foyer :
After a trip through La Reunion, the Drache Musicale duo made 2 mix tapes for the NGHE Mediatheque cassette label, based on collected tapes “from the 60s, 70s and 80’s. Together with Rebel Up SebCat they’ll organize an afterparty, based on vinyls from La Reunion, Mauritius and the Seychelles and will take you to the world of maloya and sega.
