Moutya takes centre stage with ‘Moutya Hour’ activities |31 August 2020
Numerous districts on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue yesterday hosted a Moutya Hour at 6pm, to commemorate the repeal of Regulation 115 of 1935 (Drums) Regulation which banned the tapping of drums in Victoria and other locations on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue after 9pm.
The event, organised by the department of Culture and partners at district-level, was organised to commemorate the repeal of the regulations on August 30, 2018, as the department of Culture embarked on its mission to have the moutya valorised as an element on Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage for Humanity List.
Aside from a main event at the National Museum of History, attended by principal secretary for the department Cecile Kalebi and Mayor of Victoria David Andre, other Moutya Hour activities were held at the National Library, Anse Boileau, Perseverance as well as on Praslin and La Digue.
“This year is a historic one for Seychelles as we are celebrating our 250th anniversary and we thought why not also commemorate something which is so significant to Seychellois. I think most people were not aware that there was a regulation in place banning the tapping of drums, which forms part of our culture,” PS Kalebi explained.
She further added that the department intends to commemorate the day annually, to promote the participation of community moutya groups in valorising moutya at community-level and to encourage the transmission of the moutya knowledge and skills to the younger generation within the community.
“With the pandemic, we were thinking of ways to mark the occasion but all the while still adhering to health and safety protocols in place. While we did not advertise the event or invite the public, within their own communities they might at 6pm hear the tapping of the moutya drum echoing, and this brings back memories and a sense of nostalgia and this is what we were hoping to achieve. It has not been possible to have one in every district but we hope that next year, as this will from now on become an annual event, every district will host such an activity,” she said.
“There is a shortage of drums made of goat skin. There are synthetic versions available but this is not what the department is promoting so now we are aware that we need to work on making more drums available to musicians and others who want to learn,” PS Kalebi added.
In a bid to further promote moutya and give it its rightful place in our culture, the department will as from October host a series of workshops in which participants can learn how to make the traditional moutya drum. This is also in line with efforts to push the Unesco dossier and it is hoped that by November, moutya will be added to the prestigious Unesco listing.
The department of Culture gained approval from the cabinet of ministers to repeal Regulation 115 of 1935 (Drums) Regulation, (Annex 1). The president signed the Statutory Instrument to repeal the regulation on August 30, 2018 and as such the department would like to commemorate the two year anniversary of such a historical event by organising Moutya Hour in every district on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue. The department would like Moutya Hour to become a permanent event on its annual cultural calendar in the future.
An intangible cultural heritage is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by Unesco to be part of a place's cultural heritage.
The accompanying photos show some highlights of the Moutya Hour on the grounds of the National Museum of History yesterday evening.
Laura Pillay
Photos: Thomas Meriton
