Indian Ocean All Stars MOREKOMA

Creole island music (Mauritius, Reunion, Comoros, Madagascar)

Four artists from the islands of Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius and La Réunion in the western Indian Ocean will present a special concert programme together: each of the musicians in the quartet is a strong voice for the protection of nature and for sustainable development in this important cultural area with its diversity of musical styles, Creole languages and instruments. Their activities are viewed in the context of colonialism here and there and gain new significance through the topicality of their repertoire. The threat posed by the acute climate crisis is also highly topical on the islands and in the large, fragile marine and coastal areas, as the abundance of endemic plants and animals is severely threatened and has a dramatic impact on people's everyday lives.

The quartet develops new pieces of music in the oral tradition and collectively, which they arrange for playing together on their almost 20 different instruments. To accompany this music, they create their own original texts on current issues on the islands, in particular the consequences of climate change and colonialism, which also reflect the ethnic and spiritual diversity of the musicians' perspectives: Elements of Indian, Chinese, African, Arabic and European influences will be heard. They pray to Christ, Allah, Shiva, saints and gods, whose rituals are musical references. Sega, the blues of the Indian Ocean, will be played, as well as Maloya, music from the highlands of Madagascar, Twarab, Mgodro, Shigoma and much more.

There will be a reunion with Rakotonirina Jean a.k.a. Bosco from Madagascar, who was a guest at Klangkosmos in 2013 with his Sammy & Bosco Trio. Eliasse Ben Joma from the Comoros also made a lasting impression in NRW in 2013 with the Elisouma Trio . The artistic director of the quartet is Percy Yip Tong from Mauritius, who is one of the most important ambassadors and creative minds of Creole music from the Indian Ocean worldwide and has provided numerous insights into the diversity of musical cultures in this cultural area here in Europe over the last 10 years. These three heroes are complemented by two equally impressive women and multi-instrumentalists: Sarasvati Mallac from Mauritius and the great Christine Salem from the French overseas territory of La Reunion.