The first records date back to the 18th century. Travelers passing through the remote Mauricio Islands country in the Indian Ocean, they told stories of songs and dances of enslaved peoples. They described the ecstatic rhythms as different and special. O sega it was the form of expression of the enslaved and is still one of the attractions of the country, in addition to its beauties.
“This expression is in the style of the music, in the way they played it, sang it, the way they danced, and it is a type of freedom, of freeing the mind and spirit”, says Linzy Bacbotte, a singer who knows the rhythm well.
Today, the way Linzy sings and plays the sega it’s quite different, but the musical instruments keep a lot of stories from the times of slavery. There are three main ones. O ravanne it is a drum made with a wooden bow and a goatskin, which is stretched and fastened around it. The Maravanne is a kind of rattle.
“It’s a rectangular piece of wood, covered with sugarcane stalks and, inside, has local seeds. When you shake it, the sound reminds you of ocean waves”, explains the singer.
And finally, the triangle, which is relatively new. “In the past, a machete was used, because the enslaved worked in the fields and had a machete to cut the sugar cane. Then they would take a piece of iron and the machete and tap it to get the high-pitched sound.”
Rhythm and dance details will be in the “Planet CNN” this Sunday (19), which airs at 7:15 pm.
Source: CNN Brasil
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