Le moutya à l'épreuve de la modernité seychelloise : pratiquer un genre musical emblématique dans les Seychelles d'aujourd'hui (océan Indien)
Moutya is a musical practice born out of slavery in the Seychelles islands (Indian Ocean) from the end of the 18th century. It is made of singing, drumming and dancing. During our fieldwork, this practice, known as moutya otantik (authentic moutya) by the Seychellois, was hard to find, not to say absent. Interviews with cultural workers and musicians contributed to our understanding of the concept of moutya otantik born in parallel with the "creole Seychellois" cultural identity, as a political construction that served national purposes following the coup that led to the Seychelles Revolution in 1977.  This dissertation first examines the representation of a moutya otantik as organized and presented by workers of the Ministry of Culture. It then looks at how moutya has been adapted and renewed when staged and recorded mainly during official events, at touristic venues or within the local music industry. This approach makes it possible to talk about the historical and dynamic processes of creolization that are inherent to creole music, with which moutya shares obvious affinities, and also to connect moutya with other local, regional and, more generally, Creole cultural phenomena.  New production and presentation spaces are observed through case studies based on musicians' individual and collective experiences. Analyses of sound material and musical performances attempt to better define moutya and show that it is now expressed in a diversity of forms and in a dynamic interrelation with different music. In this context, it must necessarily be approached in a broad and complex way.
Seychelles moutya sega performance ethnomusicology Indian Ocean Creolization Music identity heritagization