As discussed in previous posts, the sega ancien, which gave birth to the moutya (moutya ancien) originated from the slave population in Réunion Island, then found its way to Mauritius and then spread to the Seychelles after the first settlement.
In the first three posts we discussed the historical background of the moutya and how the moutya drum was made. In this post will be zoom in on the introduction of the moutya to the Seychelles and to grasp a better understanding of this phenomenon we must first have a quick look at the slaves who introduced it to the islands.
The Moutya and Slaves
From 15 in 1770, the slave population of Seychelles increased to 221 in 1788, then 1820 in 1803. Four years later this figure jumped to 2,759 and by 1818 there were 6,638 slaves in Seychelles. The slaves came from various parts of Africa, hence from different ethnic groups or tribes. The majority, some 45 percent came from the sister-island of Madagascar, while another 40 percent came from East (mainly Mozambique) and Central Africa. The slaves who were brought to Réunion Island and Mauritius also came from the same region.
They came naked with only their memories and sorrows
When these slaves were taken from their villages, they left empty-handed with nothing but their memories, sorrows, voices and bodies. The only way they could initially express themselves were through chants, songs, rhythm, and dance. This was how the moutya and ultimately the sega were born. The term ‘moutya’ or ‘moutia’ according to our local anthropologists is derived from the Bantu word ’mutcira’ which is a dance in the Nampula province located in northeastern Mozambique.
The Slaves adapted their musical heritage to their new environment
These first slaves showed ingenuity in the way they adapted their musical heritage to the local context. To accompany their chants, usually performed at night in their camps, they had the ingenuity to transform objects used in their everyday lives and elements from their surrounding environment into musical instruments. These instruments were however often confiscated and destroyed. Fortunately, they were relatively simple: goatskin drums, coconut shells or rattles made out of wooden boxes with dried seeds inside, metal triangles, cooking pots and utensils; and were easily replicated. We will discuss the moutya instruments in a separate post.
Moutya, a get-together to share sufferings and socialise
After a hard day’s work in harsh conditions in the coconut and spice plantations, or fishing under the hot sun, the slaves would get together and share zedmo or riddles. They also shared their pain, associated with their uprooting, by dancing and singing songs about their suffering that would resound until dawn. It was the perfect playing field to let go of the pressures of a harsh life, entertain oneself, sing, lament and socialise. Both men and women performed the dance . It would begin as a group dance, then the dancers would separate into partners. It is a dance full of sexual tension, but the dancers rarely touched each other.
The moutya was performed in secret
The moutya was, up to 1813, performed secretly. The Code Noir would have made it difficult for them to dance it openly. Article 12 of the Code decreed that “slaves were not allowed to gather in groups”. The punishment for this included the whip, branding with the fleur-de-lys and even death. The fact that the moutya has survived so long is because it was secretly practiced away from the main plantations and in small open spaces up in the hills. It was rarely performed on the beach, except probably in the outlying islands. This was because the sound of the drums could easily be heard, and the participants would leave themselves exposed to very harsh punishment as already mentioned. Consequently, the lyrics, the rhythm, and the skill of composition were passed down in secret to other generations.
The Moutya surfaced
The moutya surfaced from the beginning of the nineteenth century when the colonies heard about Mauritian Governor Farquhar’s publication of the Slavery Abolition Act, which was passed in the British Parliament in 1813. This would have encouraged slaves to attempt to complain about their miseries when previously the strict conditions would have prevented this.
The moutya was banned
Because of its origin among slaves, the moutya was considered inferior music well into the 20th century. Over the years, the colonial authorities did promulgate laws to curb the moutya. These took the form of measures which set limits as to when and where it could be performed, restricting it outside the town area altogether. The law, a copy of which is posted below, stated very clearly that the beating of drums was not allowed after certain specified times.
There were two main reasons for the ban:
The first one was that the moutya dance would usually go on from early evening until the early hours of the morning. The Church authorities condemned the dance describing it as occasions for ‘sexual orgies’ or ‘fornication’… One could easily observe , however, that there was closer physical contact between partners in a ’waltz’ or other dances of European origin than in the moutya as the moutya partners never touched one another despite of all the suggestive movements. There was in fact a reported incident whereby the local priest had interrupted a moutya and tried to whip the dancers with the cord around his habit.
Looking back, today, we could clearly assume that it would have been impossible for the dancers to assist mass held very early on Sunday morning, after spending the night singing, drinking and dancing!
The second reason for the restriction was that the throbbing of the drums and the songs would have also permeated the still tropical nights and ‘disturbed’ the landowners resting in their luxurious villas or ‘grann kaz’.
The results of the ban- the death of the moutya otantik and the birth of the moutya modern
Consequently, the moutya, moutya otantik, was to suffer an agonizing death under the guise of ‘disturbance of peace’. But, in fact , what was being destroyed was the only outlet of expression of the Seychellois masses. By the time Seychelles gained its independence, the practice of the moutya had dwindled and its valorization much affected by years of psychological attack by the authorities, both Church and Government. In the 1970’s and 80’s young people were ashamed to dance or sing the moutya.
The Drum Regulation of 1935 was only revoked in 2018, see below:
The revival
Fortunately, there is now a concerted effort by the Seychellois authorities to revive the moutya and give it the value that it deserves. This has given birth to the moutya modern. In an interview, Mr Patrick Victor, who is the Honorary Cultural Ambassador, has made it one of his priority task to revive the moutya, and all of us at The creole Melting Pot wish him all the best and will offer him all the exposure he requires.
What is next?
In the next post in this series we will discuss the moutya drum position and how it is played.
Sources
The Seychelles ‘moutya’ as a theatre prototype and historical record- By Penda Theresia Choppy
Attitudes to slavery and race in Seychellois Creole oral literature- By Penda Theresia Choppy
Le moutya à l’épreuve de la modernité Seychelloise : Pratiquer un genre musical emblématique dans les Seychelles d’aujourd’hui (Océan Indien) –Marie-Christine Parent
European slave routes in the Indian Ocean- Aparajita Biswas
Creolisation of language and culture- Robert Chaudenson
Seychelles News Agency
Any suggestions or comments about this post?
If you have any suggestions or comments relating to this post , please leave your comments below.
LEAVE A COMMENT
Your email address will not be published
