Mauritius - Mauritius, Reunion and Seychelles - page 287

Of living writers, perhaps the best-known internationally is Carl de Souza. In his novel
Le Sang de l'Anglais he looks at the often ambivalent relationship between Mauritians and
their countries of origin, while La Maison qui Marchait Vers le Large, set in Port Louis,
takes inter-community conflict as its theme. Les Jours Kaya is a coming-of-age book set
against the violence following Kaya's death.
Other contemporary novelists to look out for include Ananda Devi, Shenaz Patel and
Natacha Appanah-Mouriquand. Unfortunately, their works as yet are only available in
French, which is regarded as the language of culture.
In more recent times, the French author JMG Clézio, whose father was Mauritian, has
also set a number of novels in Mauritius, of which Le Chercheur d'Or (The Prospector)
has been translated into English.
MUSIC & DANCE
You'll hear séga everywhere nowadays, but in the early 20th century it fell seriously out
of fashion. Its revival in the early 1950s is credited to the Creole singer Ti-Frère, whose
song 'Anita' has become a classic. Though he died in 1992, Ti-Frère is still the country's
most popular séga star. More recent Creole groups and singers with a wide following in-
clude Cassiya, Fanfan and the prolific Jean-Claude Gaspard.
Séga evolved slightly differently in Rodrigues. Here the drum plays a more prominent
role in what's known as séga tambour . The island's accordion bands are also famous for
their surprising repertoire, which includes waltzes, polkas, quadrilles and Scottish reels.
Over the years these were learned from passing European sailors and gradually absorbed
into the local folk music. They're now an essential part of any Rodriguan knees-up.
A newer Mauritian musical form was invented by Creole musician Kaya in seggae ,
which blends elements of séga and reggae. With his band Racine Tatane, Kaya gave a
voice to dissatisfied Creoles around the island. Tragically, the singer died in police cus-
tody in February 1999. Following in Kaya's footsteps, Ras Natty Baby and his Natty
Rebels are one of most popular seggae groups; sales gained an extra boost when Ras
Natty Baby was imprisoned for heroin trafficking in 2003.
Recently, ragga , a blend of house music, traditional Indian music and reggae, has been
gaining a following. Mauritian ragga groups include Black Ayou and the Authentic Steel
Brothers.