Native to the Réunion Islands, Maloya is a form of music, song and dance comprised of mixed racial origins originally created by Malagasy and African slaves on sugar plantations and was later adopted by the island's entire population.
Maloya, which was at first dedicated to ancestral worship as part of a ritual, has gradually evolved over time into a lament against slavery, representing the island's identity for the past thirty years.
Presented as a purely African style, it is linked to ancestral rituals from Africa, and as such was passed along from the early slaves of the island. The drumming of Tamil religious rituals is however likely to have played a role, emphasizing Maloya's mixture of African Malagasy and Indian influences.
Maloya was banned until the 1960s because it was so closely linked to Creole culture, and performances by some Maloya groups were prohibited until the 1980s, partly because of their autonomist views and association with the Communist Party of Réunion.
When Maloya was rediscovered in the late 1960s, it was originally conceived as a dialogue between a choir and a soloist accompanied by percussion instruments. Today, it exists in an increasing variety of forms, with the introduction of djembes, synthesizers, and drums. it has influences from rock, reggae, and jazz. It inspires poetry and slam poetry, and is sung by professional or semi-professional artists.
One of the most famous Maloya musicians is Danyèl Waro. His mentor, Firmin Viry, is credited with saving the culture from extinction. According to Françoise Vergès, Maloya was first performed by Viry at the founding of the Communist Party in 1959. Later, it was used by Creole poets such as Waro and Ziskakan to protest political issues.
Maloya groups such as Baster, Ziskakan, Granmoun Baba, Firmin Viry, and Ti Fock have achieved recognition outside the island since the 1980s, mixing Maloya with other genres such as zouk, séga, afrobeat, reggae, samba, and jazz.
Maloya music is always part of every cultural, political, and social event on the island, and thus has become a means of asserting political rights. In addition to specialized music teaching at the Conservatoire de la Réunion, a total of 300 documented groups, including many world-famous artists, are also joining hands to keep the tradition alive.
Despite its importance as part of nationalism, cultural integration, a moral guide, and a model for racial integration, Maloya is at risk of decline as a result of social changes along with the disappearance of its principal exponents and the practice of glorifying the dead.