“Moutya” at Anse Royale will become a festival in its own right says Minister responsible for Tourism & Culture of Seychelles

Moutya at Anse Royale
Moutya at Anse Royale
Avatar of Linda Hohnholz
Written by Linda Hohnholz

A year ago this July the Musicians Association of Seychelles “SEYMAS” under the leadership of Ralph Amesbury decided to bring back to life the traditional “Moutya” drums and dancing with a “Dimans Mou

A year ago this July the Musicians Association of Seychelles “SEYMAS” under the leadership of Ralph Amesbury decided to bring back to life the traditional “Moutya” drums and dancing with a “Dimans Moutya” (a Sunday of Moutya). This traditional dance that originally took place around a bond fire with drums made out of goat skin has somewhat evolved. but the sounds from these traditional drums continues to echo messages as was done in its hay day.

The โ€œDimans Moutyaโ€ celebrated its first anniversary on Sunday, July 6, 2014. This celebration was held at the Anse Royale Fun Park and was attended by an enthusiastic crowd of many thousands who participated and who wanted to show their support for this activity.

Since the early afternoon of July 6, various artists and bands were entertaining the crowd as they waited for the actual “Moutya” ambiance to start. Members of the Seychelles Poetry Association were also present to perform a recitation of poems on the vibes of “moutya” rhythm, and the island’s Visual Arts Association had a stand showcasing various paintings from their own members.

In the spirit of decentralizing the Seychelles “moutya” and to add a regional feel to this celebration, “SEYMAS” invited traditional drum groups from Mauritius and Rodrigues to join them and to perform alongside Seychellois artists. This was possible through the existing bilateral cooperation between the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of the Seychelles and the Ministry of Arts and Culture of Mauritius and Rodrigues.

Minister Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture, and Ms. Benjamine Rose, the PS for Culture, were present to show their support for “SEYMAS” with this activity that touches the culture-loving Seychellois population. “Our Moutya has our very own DNA, and it remains part of what we say remains dear to us, Seychellois,” said Minister St.Ange when he was invited to address the large crowd who had gathered that Sunday afternoon at Anse Royale for the “Dimans Moutya.”

Minister Alain St.Ange continued by thanking “SEYMAS” for organizing this activity that has revived the islands’ traditional “Moutya.” The Minister also thanked all the Seychellois present for their show of support to the “Dimans Moutya” cultural event. “When we see so many of you gathered here once again for this cultural event, we can see and we can say that the people of Seychelles believe in their culture and in its music,” the Minister said. With this, Minister St.Ange confirmed the support of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture to have the โ€œDimans Moutyaโ€ included in the โ€œLafet La Digueโ€ celebration in August and in the September Praslin Culinary & Arts Fiesta. Minister Alain St.Ange standing on stage with Mr. Ralph Amesbury ended his address by declaring that as of next year the “Dimans Moutya” will feature on the national calendar of events put out by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and agreed that this unique musical extravaganza will be staged every first weekend of the month of July.

This “Dimans Moutya” activity was initiated last year by “SEYMAS” with the aim of promoting and preserving this particular traditional music and dance among visitors and the young generation. Since its creation it has earned its place as one of the top traditional and family events in Seychelles. Altogether last year โ€œDimans Moutyaโ€ was held 4 times in response to public demand.

“SEYMAS” believes the “moutya” is of great importance to the Seychellois culture and should be made known to the world.

The revival of the “moutya” spirit through the โ€œDimans Moutyaโ€ among the general public displays how the Seychellois value their tradition no matter how big the outside influence impacts on the islands’ culture.

The vision of “SEYMAS” with its โ€œDimans Moutyaโ€activity is to have the traditional Seychelles “Moutya” recognized by UNESCO.

Minister Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture, gave two live interviews on SBC Radio straight from the studio set up at Anse Royale to cover this popular event. It was SBC Journalist Nathalie Rose who conducted the live interview with Minister St.Ange which centered on his support for the event and on the continued development of culture in Seychelles.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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