Many wonder what Mauritian Sega is. It is both dance and song combined. There are many instruments that accompany the dancers including the ravane, the maravane, and the triangle. The ravane is a drum, covered with the skin of a goat and very wide and thin. The maravane is also a percussive instrument, like a maraca, it is a box filled with stones and musicians shake it created much the same sound. And the triangle is that standard metallic ‘triangle’ used by many bands in many countries. Singers sing songs that span the spectrum of emotions. Subjects and stories from everything to the funnier happenings in life, to songs about the difficulties in love and other relationships. The singers are the only melodic aspect of the songs, as all of the instruments are instruments of percussion.
The dance is a shuffle, a series of steps with no set choreography nor patterns. The arms are stretched and the hips are swinging. This resembles a dance of courtship as the dancers move around each other, then come together, face one another, and then move to the floor, sitting. They then bend back and forward, towards and away from each other. Many companies perform for tourists in the resorts and best hotels. Mauritius nightclubs often accentuate the eroticism and the air of suggestiveness in the performances.
This is all not set in stone, as the versatility and diversity of the African tribes is immense. Occasionally the music is performed by guitarists or trumpet players, or sometimes with no musical accompaniment at all. Or, just anything, any object that will make noise, and old can, sticks, or a coin tapped on the side of an empty bottle. That is usually how the Sega beach parties begin. And although this is sometimes thought of as a dance of sensuality, families participated as well. This is an African tradition that is participated in during festivals, weddings and birthday celebrations. This has become part of the cultural identity on the island. Sega began on the mainland, and was transported to the island via the slaves during the colonial period. This was a form of expression for those homesick for their homeland.
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