Seychellois music

The Seychellois adore foot-tapping music. Both contemporary disco music and modern adaptations of traditional littanies are immensely popular among hte youth of the island.

Traditional Seychellois music has been heavily influenced by the deep African melodies (evident in the moutya, sega) and the European waltz, polka, and mazurkas (the kanmtole) of the quadrilles or country dances.

Aside from international music, the Seychellois youth in particular, enjoy the local Creole versions of root reggae/ reggae (‘seggae’, “mouggae”) raga-muffin (‘kanmtorag’), rap including R& B, hip-hop, soukous, zouk… in addition to modern sega music unique to the Indian Ocean region and ‘oldies and goodies’ from the "romances", or ballads, country, rock and roll, souls, blues & gospel. Seychellois music is a delightful blend of Indian, European, Chinese and Arabic - accordions, banjos and violins blend with the makalapo, a stringed instrument, the zez, a sitar, African skin drums and the bom, a bowed instrument.

Local musicians like Jean-Marc Volcy and Jenny de Letourdie have won international acclaim by popularising the melodies and lyrics of traditional artists such as the well-known ‘Ton Pa’ (Jacob Marie).

These compositions reveal the gamut of traditional tunes played on now disappearing instruments such as the zither (zez), or the musical arc (bonm), and many others such as the makalapo and the mouloumba.

The sombre moutia is the typical dance of the Seychelles, with strong African and Malagasy rhythms. The concommittant songs are prayers, which the early slaves eventually turned into work chants, and they're  accompanied by slow, repetitive dance movements. <