| Kaya | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joseph Reginald Topize |
| Born | 10 August 1960 |
| Origin | Mauritius |
| Died | 21 February 1999 (aged 38) |
| Genres | Seggae |
| Instruments | Guitar |
Kaya (10 August 1960 – 21 February 1999) was a Mauritian musician and the creator of "seggae", a fusion of sega and reggae, two of the most popular music genres in Mauritius.
Kaya Joseph Reginald Topize was born in the ghetto of Roche-Bois August 10, 1960, from a family of five children. His father fisherman not able to support his education, left him under the supervision of an uncle. Joseph did not have a very happy childhood. Being both mulatto and Indian, he is very young victim of racism and finds himself left on his own to find odd jobs at the age of 8 years. At 16, he decided to learn guitar, he played hits from Mike Brant, Santana, Deep Purple ... and hosts dances and weddings with his first band, "Wind and Fire"
Joseph soon discovers reggae and Bob Marley who becames his idol, he will adopt the same nickname Kaya, in homage to the album of the same name.
No more Mike Brant and other pop groups. He is dedicated to present to interpret the songs of Bob, with some imitation elsewhere. Spotted for his talents as a guitarist, he joined the group 'Lélou Menwar'. It's with him that Kaya will make his first real concert and her first studio to record the album 'Letan lenfer'.
Back from tour, Kaya decided to gather some friends of Roche-Bois and create the group 'Racinetatan', named after a Malagasy prince exiled in Mauritius. Heavily influenced by reggae and its message, Kaya incorporated many of Marley hits and also performed his compositions. But he started to question himself about this concept of "Roots & Culture". Should he grab reggae and Jamaican culture? Does it fit his reality?
In this atmosphere of thought and creativity, in 1986 he had the brilliant idea to mix reggae with the local blues, the Sega. He also campaigned for rights of the Mauritian Creole people.
On February 16, 1999, the republican movement is organizing a free concert for the decriminalization of ganja - Edward-VII Street to Reduit, neighborhood near Rose Hill. 5 groups are on view, including the inevitable Kaya.
Valayden opens the festivities with a speech in favor of the decriminalization of soft drugs, saying: "mo pou amène dépénalisation, sinon mo pas pou dans gouvernement" as reported by the local press. Valayden then asked the crowd to a show of hands four resolutions calling for the decriminalization and appealed to Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam for those imprisoned for possession of "gandia" (about 2000 or 75% of the prison population, for sentences ranging from several months to two years) to be amnestied.
Totally playful with this meeting and the crowd gathers quickly reaches 2000 participants. Overexcited, many young people among them Rastas, light with impunity their joints, causing the agents of the Special Supporting that fitted clubs, however, not intervene.
Only two days later that the state police forces and decide to question five people identified as having smoked or induced to smoke gandia during the concert. Among them, Kaya, who admits to having smoked that night and finds himself immediately imprisoned in Alcatraz, detention center for the traditional big drug dealer and criminal.
A considerable amount of 10,000 rupees is then requested for the release of the artist. His wife, aided by his musicians and members of the MR (not Valayden), manages to combine the sum and is about to end a story once again ridiculous and discriminatory.
However, due to various blunders of the lawyers and especially a lack of political support for the MR to release quickly, Kaya can not go out this Saturday, February 20 and must wait until Monday to be released. Only Kaya will never be free, his wife will never see him alive, he was found dead in his cell on the morning of Sunday, February 21.
Few people believe the official version, that Kaya, suffering from lack of weed, would have broken his skull, throwing himself against the walls of his cell. Against a second opinion requested by the wife of Kaya, conducted by a coroner Reunion, Dr. Ramstein, will also contradict this theory and show that the victim had been beaten.
Riots followed soon after causing one of the major social upheavals in Mauritius.[1]
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