Music of Mauritius

The island of Mauritius is known for sega music, alongside the nearby Réunion island, though reggae, soukous and other genres are also popular. Sega is an evolved form of polka and quadrilles from Europe, fused with local rhythms and instruments. Modern sega frequently includes influences from zouk, reggae, soukous and other Latin American musical styles.

Les Windblows is the most well-known sega band from Mauritius, though Marie-Jose Coutonne and reggae-sega (sometimes called seggae) fusionist Ras Natty Baby is also popular. The musician Kaya, perhaps the most popular singer of modern Mauritius, died in 1999, sparking three days of rioting.

References

• Ewens, Graeme and Werner Graebner. "A Lightness of Touch". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 505-508. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0