Freedom Song

To the east of Madagascar,about 200 kilometres south west of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean,lies the picturesque French island,Reunion.

To the east of Madagascar,about 200 kilometres south west of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean,lies the picturesque French island,Reunion. As rich as it is in its flora and fauna,the island has a richer history,culture and tradition that run as deep as the waters of the ocean surrounding it. It was here that Danyel Waro grew up with his family,tilling on the maize and sugarcane fields,singing songs of the noir of the blacks,of those from Madagascar,from India,from the Africana. It was here that he strengthened the roots of his music,the Maloya music,and ever since,has been singing the song of freedom.

For the uninitiated,Maloya is the musical style mixing African,Madagascan and Indian notes,and was adopted in the 1970s. Though it was in a way banned soon after,the credit goes to freedom fighter and singer Firmin Viry and Danyel Waro of harnessing the power of this music and rekindling it back to life in the 80s. While Sega,a traditional Indian Ocean dance rhythm is more known,Maloya is a compound rhythm in which plantation workers have been long singing their joys and woes.

In town for a concert,courtesy the Alliance Francaise and The Indian Express,Danyel strikes a conversation in broken English. As we struggle to understand his world,with the help of a translator,we realise his music is a movement for him. Its our history,our culture,which has been passed on for generations and its our duty to safeguard it,to carry it forward, he speaks with passion,of a music he sings in Creole with traditional instruments,and one which has been the very symbol for freedom of speech,expression,language for them.

I never chose the music,it picked me, he goes back to the 60s,when his love for music began. My father was a strict man,and for him,because of our poverty,the necessities in life were more important,not luxuries like art an music, he says,adding how he used to steal moments and tune into the radio and sneak away to the neighbours house to catch a glimpse of the television. For Danyel,whose father was also part of the fight for independence,the power of music became stronger each day as he sang it while working in the fields. It was and still is an affirmation of our identity.

Today,Danyel travels throughout the world with his music,and is known for his straight,to-the-point lyrics. Back home,he makes traditional instruments associated with Maloya music like the kayam,roulers and pikers. I dont sing for money,I sing to make it known,to preserve whats rightfully ours, he says,happy that many youngsters have joined this musical movement.

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