A different tune: (from left) Maya Kamatay, Mounawar, Christine Salem and Grén Sémé — artists from Réunion Island who will be performing in Puducherry. more-in The next best thing to actually visiting Réunion Island, the islet-paradise located in the Indian Ocean, would perhaps be to getting to know its soul from afar and through the medium of music. Four important bands, who are part of a new generation of musicians perpetuating the Maloya tradition that is an admixture of poetry and slam, rock, reggae, jazz and dance, will perform in the city under the auspices of the Alliance Francaise. Heritage féte The two-day event will be held at Maison Colombani garden from October 12. The bands will regale audiences with the quintessence of Maloya art form, which has been featured in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2009. The back-to-back evenings of music will be hosted by the Alliance Francaise in partnership with the Puducherry Tourism Department, Navayuga and France Volontaires. On Sunday, Alliance Française will host Réunionese film screenings to cap off the celebration of the French overseas territory’s culture, which shares cultural and historical ties with India. Musicians Maya Kamaty, Mounawar, Christine Salem and Grèn Sémé will perform as part of a nation-wide tour from October 6 to 25. The bands will also be playing at various venues across the country including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Bhopal. Maison Colombani will begin to reverberate with afro rhythms at 7 p.m. on Friday when Maya Kamaty takes the stage. Maya Kamaty is the daughter of Gilbert Pounia, the lead singer of Ziskakan, one of the most famous Maloya groups from Réunion Island. Her music combines traditional instruments of the Maloya with modern influences and mixes African rhythms, modern harmonies and a touch of blues. She sings mainly in Creole. Culture and philosophy Following this, there will be Mounawar’s concert which promises a shift to the philosophical. Mounawar has a rich and representative music of the Indian Ocean by these Afro rhythms that can transport audiences to “the crossroads, the boundaries of the world, cultures and feelings”. The texts of Mounawar carry a universalist message and resonate with a sense of revolt against the disrespect shown by men to each other and to their planet, the organisers said. Opening the event on Saturday is Christine Salem, an emblematic figure of the Maloya and one of the most intense performers. Recognisable by her deep androgynous tone and warm voice, Christine Salem sings in Creole, Malagasy, Comorian or Swahili, accompanied by her favorite instrument, the kayanm, an idiophone. Her unique style and incredible energy on stage has in the past earned her a ranking in the top ten concerts in the New York Times. Be geared for a twist at the last concert by Grèn Sémé who have invented a totally new style where Creole and Maloya from La Réunion meet Brel, Bashung and Noir Désir. And, all this in between rock poetry, dub and ternary rhythms. Three years after their successful debut album, the group finds the perfect balance between power and fragility with their latest album, Hors Sol, and asserts itself as one of the most original voices of the new French music scene. Grand finale Sunday is devoted to Réunion Island cinema, with screenings at the venue’s auditorium. The films being shown are Vocation (Arno Ximénès), the first short film fully made, shot, edited and mixed in Réunion Island, Tangente (Julie Jouve et Rida) which was selected for the César award in France for Best Short Film 2018. Finally, Sac la mort (Emmanuel Parraud), which is the first film shot in Réunionese Creole and was selected at the ACID Cannes Film Festival will close the show. The screenings (with English subtitles) will begin at 6.15 p.m. According to the Alliance Francaise, entry is free and is subject to availability.

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