Preserving Mauritius' unique island sound
La Nikita, a Mauritian Sega singer-songwriter, actively uses her voice, songs, and media presence to preserve and popularize the typical Mauritian island sound, sung in Creole, for the younger generation.
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00:00 Sega's song in Creole language is considered as the most popular music in Mauritius.
00:06 But does this unique island sound have a future beyond its borders?
00:10 It's our identity, we need to do it.
00:13 If we don't do it, who will do it?
00:15 Sega was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2014.
00:21 And La Nikita is one of its most prominent safeguards.
00:24 But what is Sega all about?
00:26 You know, Sega music tells the stories of our people, our struggle and our joy also.
00:34 You know, our ancestors when they created the Sega, they created the rhythm and the
00:38 moves like an expression of freedom, of liberty out of slavery to tell their story, the struggle
00:45 they were facing years ago.
00:47 We still sing some struggle in Sega but also so many joy, celebration but also love.
00:54 For La Nikita, Sega is more than just music, it's a reflection of being Mauritian and of
00:58 the country's unity.
01:02 Sega can unite we all, the Mauritian people from so many diverse communities, so Sega
01:09 can also unite the whole world together.
01:12 You remember that song, "We are the world" from Michael Jackson?
01:15 Maybe it's time to create that one song in a Sega genre, in Creole, why not, to unite
01:21 the world.
01:23 How would La Nikita like to see this happen?
01:25 Apart from advocating Sega wherever she goes, by infusing traditional Sega with modern influences,
01:31 she keeps her songs relevant and relatable.
01:35 The drum is now the new key to the modern Sega and Mauritius.
01:39 Years before we had only the ravan and nowadays we just put together the ravan and the drum
01:44 and this is our modern Sega.
01:46 This instrument is the maravan, here in Mauritius we call it like this, in Rhenian island, our
01:51 brothers and sisters over there call it the kayam, Mayotte Macho has just been on tour
01:56 over there and Kenyan also, they call it the kayamba and this instrument we can find it
02:01 in many of the eastern African countries, they play it but they have different names.
02:05 It forms part of the same family, the Aydian forn family, here in Mauritius the maravan
02:09 which is made with the sugarcane flower stems and we fill it inside with some seeds and
02:14 that's why it gives that sound.
02:16 You can play it a little bit for them.
02:22 Nowadays we have so many genres musical, we just infuse in our Sega, we have the Sega
02:28 blues, we have so many, let me match you, Sega jazz, yes we have Sega with influence
02:34 of electro music, dance music and the youngsters nowadays in Mauritius are also doing some
02:39 Sega with some Shata music, a little bit some Caribbean vibes.
02:43 We have also some Afro music, all of this keep our Sega alive, it forms part of the
02:49 safeguard of the Sega here in Mauritius and you know whatever the genre musical, Sega
02:54 will still remain our identity, the heartbeat of each and every Mauritian here.
03:00 Lana Kite is using her voice, her songs, her TV and radio shows to safeguard Sega's legacy
03:06 whilst popularizing the genre to a global audience.
03:12 I have been inspired myself with especially the women who do Sega before me because they
03:19 just do Sega in a period that it was not well seen.
03:26 In their times for women to sing Sega, they told her that she was a cholo, like it was
03:31 something bad.
03:33 Nowadays have been facing all that and me, I take this like a force, like a heritage
03:38 to stand here, to sing for these women, to continue what they have bring and I hope that
03:44 myself as a young women singing, I can do the same for the youngsters who just maybe
03:50 they are shy to come to sing the Sega or they just prefer to sing only classical song but
03:55 for me nowadays Sega is a performing art to song and to dance and also to teach other
04:02 people.
04:03 My aim, my objective is just to make the world discover Sega because we have lots of talented
04:09 artists here in Mauritius and each and every day, night when I'm sharing Sega with tourists
04:16 who come in my island, it's so amazing and wonderful to see how they are captured with
04:21 the rhythm of the sounds of Sega, of Maravan, of Triangle and of the rhythm, the guitar,
04:28 it's so powerful, it can bring so much joy in so many hearts of so many people so let
04:34 the Sega play.
04:35 Viva Maurice, viva our Sega music.
04:40 La Nikita, the embodiment of Sega's spirit, is leading the charge to ensure that the heartbeat
04:45 of Mauritius continues to resonate for generations to come.
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