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the gorgeous interior where climbers can put their hiking skills to the test in an alpine-like landscape with lava fields, volcanoes and lush primary forests.
The French organisation Scènes Austral, in partnership with the European Union and the Regional Council, presented the sec- ond IOMMA, the Indian Ocean Music Market in late May. Showcas- ing the musical diversity of the 23 countries that border the Indian Ocean, it was held in the charming port town of St Pierre. Due to the success of the first occasion in creating a network of profes- sionals, the IOMMA has positioned itself at the crossroads of the music industry in the Indian Ocean. Over a three day period, sever- al hundred local and international delegates (festival organisers, promoters, artists, managers and journalists) from South Africa, Madagascar, Mayotte, Mauritius, the Seychelles, India and Aus- tralia convened for a programme of conference discussions, pan- els, networking and music showcases.
IOMMA producer Jérome Galabert explains: “IOMMA is a rel- atively small market, set up to promote the music of the Indian Ocean. We want to enable Indian Ocean artists to get exposure and to export themselves to major new markets throughout the world. We also offer help to Indian Ocean entrepreneurs and com- panies to find new markets within the region and worldwide.”
Even though a great number of problems in the Indian Ocean zone still have to be solved and quite a few training pro- grammes need to be instituted, the general mood of the discus- sion panels was very positive and stimulating. “Solidarity between the networks in the Indian Ocean is the keyword and the will to work together and to create new opportunities is gratifying,” according to Galabert.
His vision for the future: “We have to raise the level of the professionals in our region. That’s why it’s very important to share our experience with the rest of the world. We also need to keep the IOMMA small. I don’t want IOMMA becoming a new Womex or Babel Med. IOMMA can only be successful if it stays a small mar- ket with maximum 300 to 400 delegates.”
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Serious topics were reserved for the daylight hours, night time for that which connected all the delegates: food, drink and music. IOMMA presented 20 bands from the Indian Ocean, from tradi- tional to urban, over a four night stretch. Réunion’s signature music style, maloya, could be heard in many variations.
aloya is traditional and heavily based on percus- sion, usually sung in Creole, which dates back to the days of slavery when Africans were forced to work on the sugar plantations. It is presented as purely African music but recently there has been some speculation as to whether there might also be possible influences from the sacred drumming in Tamil religious festivals. Maloya was banned by the French until 1981 because of its strong association with Creole culture, autonomist beliefs and links with the Communist Party of Réunion. Since then quite a few Réunion artists began rediscovering their musical roots, mixing maloya with such other genres as sega, zouk, reggae, jazz and rock.
Nowadays the leading exponent of the maloya is singer and poet Danyèl Waro – familiar from his fRoots 341/342 cover feature – who has enriched the trance-inducing rhythms with poetic lyrics and political messages. In 2009 maloya was deemed to have met the UNESCO criteria for inscription on France’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Hip T-shirts with the inscription ‘Maloya is not dead’ underline the revival of this once-forbidden form of music.
IOMMA’s opening concert was given by Iza, a charming young Réunion singer who mixes maloya with chanson and pop in a romantic and personal way. The Réunion group Grèn Sémé com- bines traditional maloya percussion with more electronic touches to come up with ‘evolutionary maloya’ with poetic and socially committed lyrics. This year Grèn Sémé was the winner of L’Auréat Alain Peters. Alain Peters was a legendary Réunion poet and musi- cian who, in the mid ’70s revived the then forbidden maloya by infusing it with pop and rock. He died in 1995 at the age of 40 after a long period of alcoholism.
Among other Réunion artists, famous singer and piano player Meddy Gerville offered a unique and joyful blend of maloya and jazz, giving a truly uplifting performance. Veteran Ti Fock, who has been on the road since the early ’80s, successfully combined traditional maloya with jazz and electro. Creole poetry, maloya, rock and trance were the lyrical ingredients utilised by popular singer Nathalie Natiembé. Her powerful voice and rousing dance moves generated quite a lot of energy though it was a pity that the scales were tipped a little too much in favour of rock.
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