16 March,2011 11:23 AM IST | | Yolande D'Mello
At his first ever concert in india, Singer Daneyl Waro will give the audience a taste of Maloya culture through songs in Creole. the guide talks to him about his music, his growing up years and the time he spent in a French prison
My family has been in the Reunion Islands for about 11 generations. My father was a farmer so along with my brothers and sisters we all worked in the fields together. We grew corn, beans and sugarcane - it's obvious that we were not rich. My father was a member of the communist party and we were forbidden from listening to music, especially Maloya or deriving any pleasure from it. In school, we learnt French and English but not Creole.
How did you get interested in music?
I always liked to sing but I didn't get an opportunity to learn, so I didn't sing well. In 1970, I attended a concert by the artist Firmin Viry, organised by the Communist Party of Reunion, and discovered the culture of Maloya, the traditional music from the time of the slaves. In 1976, I refused to join the French army and was jailed for two years in a French prison. That is where I started to write profusely, express my feelings, thoughts and memories of working in a sugarcane field. But I could not sing aloud because I was still a prisoner.
How did your family react to the idea of you being a musician?
When I got back home after my prison sentence, that was the first time I could sing and dance and enjoy the music of my land. But it wasn't just the government or the army that was against Maloya. The general mindset of people was that Maloya was "black" music and it took some time to showu00a0 them that that it was also beautiful music. My father warmed up to the idea when I started using music to continue his fight.
How has your music changed over the years?
The Reunion Islands has seen a lot of revolution in the last 30 years and so have I. My songs have changed with time as they reflect my opinions but I continue the same fight for freedom to share our culture.
Are you nervous about playing in India for the first time?
I'm excited. In Reunion Islands, we have a large Indian population who were employed at the sugar factories. Many of them used to speak only Tamil but now it's a mix of ethnicities with Malagasy, French and Indian cultures. In fact, at the temple where I worship we have many representations of God, including Ganesh and Kali, and we have the ceremony in many languages at the same time. I'm quite familiar with Indian culture and I think people will find that familiarity in my music. At the end of the day, we are all family.
On Tonight, 10 pm onwards
At Blue Frog, Mathuradas Mills Compound, NM Joshi Marg, Lower Parel.
Call 40332300
