Kaya (Mauritian musician)

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 or Joseph Reginald Topize (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.

Musical career

Kaya was born in Roche-Bois in Port Louis on August 10, 1960, from a family of five children. His father,a 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 was a very young victim of racism and found 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, etc, and hosted dances and weddings with his first band, "Wind and Fire".

Joseph soon discovered reggae and Bob Marley became his idol. He adopted the same nickname Kaya, in homage to the album of the same name.

No more Mike Brant and other pop groups. He was 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 was 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 he created the group 'Racinetatan', named after a Malagasy prince exiled in Mauritius. Heavily influenced by reggae and its message, Kaya incorporated many of Marley's 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.

Political action

Kaya 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 cannabis - Edward-VII Street to Reduit, neighborhood near Rose Hill. Five groups are on view, including 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 a part of the Barracks Line prison called "Alcatraz", a detention center in Port-Louis 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, he was not released on that Saturday, February 20, since the closure of courtrooms and must had awaited until Monday to be released. He was found dead in his cell on the morning of Sunday, February 21, 1999.

The official version states that Kaya, suffering from lack of drug, 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. An example of injustice.

Riots followed soon after causing one of the major social upheavals in Mauritius.[1]

Discography

See also

References

  1. ↑ Vellien, Clifford: Rioting in Mauritius set off by jail death of singer, The Guardian, 25 February 1999.

External links