The creativity in culture: Creolization in the musical genres of the Seychelles Islands.

Abstract

The existence of diverse cultural or ethnic groups within a country and particularly an island, perpetuates constant synchronization and creative cultural exchanges between groups. The variations in expression are observable through all expressive genres over time. In Seychelles, (islands located in the Indian Ocean) the dynamics of French, British, Mauritian, Madagascaran, East and West African, Arab, Indian, and other Asian cultures contributed to their unique kreolite or sense of being Creole (created). What is of particular interest, however, is that the Seychellois themselves are both self conscious of their kreolite and have been articulate during the course of its evolution and varied manifestations. Specifically in music, changes in cultural values and strategies are observable as they took place over time resultant from colonization/decolonization, external influences of tourism, technology, and regional interaction with other creole cultures as well as from personal and culturally-based affinities. As changes occurred a modulation in the establishment and perception of tradition and expressed value for the expressions occurred as well. In this work the phenomenon of creolization is transferred from its usage in linguistics to other cultural expressions and is then discussed specifically as it relates to exchanges and affinities in Seychelles musical genres. Chapter 1 includes a discussion of the individual's role in the altering or creolization of musical literature, particularly that of the bombe (a one-stringed bowed instrument). Special emphasis is given to the manner by which affinities are established, canonized, and transferred from individual to individual. Chapter 2 includes a discussion of the modulating perceptions of 'tradition' through variations in participation in the music/dance genre known as the kamtole. Chapter 3 includes a discussion of the influence of political perceptions on the evolution of the African-originated dances the mutia and sega. Chapter 3 also includes a consideration of the importance of regional exchange (Indian Ocean) in creating non-categorical perceptions of expressive genres. Finally, chapter 4 includes a discussion of the nature of fusion through the life of one of the most significant figures in Seychellois musical evolution, Patrick Victor. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the importance of media and technology in evaluating any variation of creolization. A goal of this study is to contribute to the dialogue on rethinking categorization within and between human culture or ethnic groups. It is designed to contribute to methodologies which address the fluid nature of cultural exchange, understanding ethnic/cultural mixing (or strategies to de-emphasize boundary perception), and the general trends of fusion and globalization which characterize cultural dynamics at the close of the twentieth century.