Seychelles gears up for Lafet Moutya Sesel 2022 |27 August 2022
All is set for the upcoming Lafet Moutya Sesel 2022 which will take place from August 29 to September 3.
The six-day event is being organised by the Creative Seychelles Agency (CSA), within the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts.
Lafet Moutya Sesel is aimed at promoting our moutya dance, giving it its rightful place in our culture and bringing more awareness on its importance and value.
On December 15, 2021, the Seychelles’ moutya was inscribed on the representative list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (Unesco) intangible cultural heritage of humanity that must be preserved.
The activities will also mark the fourth anniversary of the repeal of the Regulation 115 of 1935 (Drums) Regulation, which banned the moutya drums beat in Victoria and other locations on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue after 9pm.
Lafet Moutya Sesel 2022 will start with a two-day workshop for young people at the International Conference Centre on August 29.
Those taking part in the workshop are the secondary students who were recently involved in the inter-school moutya competition. The students will learn how to make the moutya drum, will learn about its origin and other interesting aspects of the drum and the dance as well.
The second workshop will run from September 1 to 2, at the International Conference Centre in which those taking part will learn how to make the traditional moutya drums using goat skin.
The curtain will officially fall on Lafet Moutya Sesel 2022 on September 3 with the great moutya manifestation in Victoria, dubbed LekoTanbour. Creative Seychelles Agency is inviting members of the public to join in this moutya manifestation at the Clock Tower as from 6.30pm, whereby young and elderly dancers, drummers, moutya groups will be performing. To enhance the ambiance in town, there will be various stalls as well as entertainment at the Camion Hall grounds as from 11am on that day until 11pm.
Contributed