The term Maloya comes from the Madagascan word “maloy aho” which means to talk. Along with Sega, it is one of the two main musical genres of Reunion. Since October 1, 2009, Maloya has been classed as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO.
Although Sega, essentially festive dance music, is danced all over the island, Maloya remains a song of rebellion and pain, on the edge of ancestral worship. Passed for a long time from generation to generation, Maloya, therefore, took the form of a dialogue between a soloist and a choir, accompanied by percussion.
As accompaniment, Maloya makes use of traditional instruments like the rouler (bass drum), the kayamb (a raft rattle), the piker (a bamboo cylinder hit with two sticks), the sati (a metal box hit with sticks), and the triangle, abandoned by Sega for string and wind instruments.
Confined for a long time to sugar producing estates, Maloya is now taking on more and more varied forms, both in terms of the lyrics and the instruments with the introduction of the djembe, the synthesizer, and even the drums. Sung and danced live by artists, it blends with rock, reggae, jazz, and even electronic music and inspires poetry and slams.
Maloya, born from slave chants, has been classed as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO since October 1, 2009.
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- Confined for a long time to sugar producing estates, Maloya is now taking on more and more varied forms, both in terms of the lyrics and the instruments with the introduction of the djembe, the synthesizer, and even the drums.
- As accompaniment, Maloya makes use of traditional instruments like the rouler (bass drum), the kayamb (a raft rattle), the piker (a bamboo cylinder hit with two sticks), the sati (a metal box hit with sticks), and the triangle, abandoned by Sega for string and wind instruments.
- Passed for a long time from generation to generation, Maloya, therefore, took the form of a dialogue between a soloist and a choir, accompanied by percussion.
