Local singer gets selected by Intercontinental Bienal |07 October 2023
Michel Camille
Africa, the land that touches the soul. A haven of mysteries, magic and miracles. Despite how it can be negatively portrayed at times, the African mainland is rich in cultural heritage and diversity, and even a wealth of mineral and biological resources.
Many have honoured Africa through music, poems, sculptures, stories, dance, paintings and other art forms. Seychellois artists have also shown their appreciation of our African heritage.
Michel Antonio Camille is one of those artists. Known as One Blood, Michel has made Seychelles proud with his song dedicated to Mama Africa entitled ‘I found myself in Africa’.
The song has been selected by the Intercontinental Bienal to be exhibited across the continents along with other creative pieces of arts ranging from various categories such as music, dance, drama, paintings and sculptures.
Intercontinental Bienal is an international organisation promoting art, design and performance industries and hosts exhibitions across the globe.
The exhibitions will be held in museums, theatres, artistic and cultural circuits in Columbia, Argentina and Brazil.
This year the tour begins in South America. It continues its tour through Central America (Honduras, Nicaragua); and North America (USA and Canada), and finally will reach countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania.
From December 1-12, 2023, the exhibition will be in Columbia, and will move to Argentina as from March 22, 2024 to April 4, 2024. In Brazil, the exhibition will be for 14 days, starting from May 17 to May 30, 2024.
The finalists will be known on October 20, while the award winners will be rewarded before the end of that same month.
“'I found myself in Africa’. The title captivated my attention that I felt the urge to write a story,” a pleasant Michel was happy to share his bond with Mama Africa.
“The song is about my first trip to Africa rendering me through Kenya, Zanzibar and Tanzania. It was like a pilgrimage for me because I am a descendant of African slaves and I am proud of my heritage,” said the artist who is based in Zanzibar.
“It was a voyage of great discovery filled with deep emotions, seeing the homeland of my ancestors. It felt good to learn more about the cultures of the mainland through different cuisines, music, people and places.”
And so I found myself in Africa is all about my rich experience of discovering my identity, embracing my heritage and exploring the home of my forefathers, he added.
Michel pointed out that through the song, he feels the connection with the continent and the lyrics represent a conversation between him and Mama Africa. And the first verse reads....
Mambo Jambo
Karibu mambo
Welcome my son
Mama Africa
Loves you oh
Habari mama
Mzurisana
Shear Poa
Asante sana mama
A beautiful song with such a powerful melody, simple yet touching lyrics.
The talented artist was born and raised in Seychelles. Following in his father’s footsteps as a musician, Michel was very active in the cultural events at national level.
He moved to London in 1994 at the age of 24 and from there he learned how to play guitar and sing along to his own rhythm.
By summer 1997, he was busking around West End mainly Leicester Square and Convent Garden where he made ends meet.
Busking also took him to Glasgow where he used to come together with other musicians on the famous Buchanan Street.
In 2006, he moved back to Seychelles and continued working on his music. Seven years later, in 2013, he teamed up with a French artist and they formed the band named One Blood, alongside some other local musicians.
The band took part in several events held locally but was short-lived as the band split up and the French artist moved back to France.
It was not the end for Michel, who in 2017, joined his cousin, George Camille of Full Vibes to release his debut album, ‘Reach Out’ produced and released under his own record label in 2019.
His music echoes the influences from his younger days and also the reggae scenes he experienced through his time living in London.
‘Reach Out’ is available on major digital platforms, together with new one ‘JAH Warriors’ released in July 2022.
Asante sana Mama Africa!
