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Two Traditions of Rodrigues
Lured by photos of pristine beaches, coral reefs and unspoilt coastal hikes, I didn’t anticipate encountering a UNESCO listed dance. In my first post I’ve written a little more about the country of Rodrigues – and about some of the top things to do on the island. But, I’d thought very little about Rodrigues traditions and heritage. But, one evening, back in my room at Cotton Bay hotel, after dinner, I opened the doors of the balcony to sit out and look at the sea only to hear a lively dance start up in the distance. On previous evenings the hotel entertainment had been gentler – a singer with a guitar player or sax. This evening, what I heard was compelling – there was no possibility of sitting still and not going to find out more.
I was delighted to learn more about this Rodrigues tradition and to have the chance to see it at first hand. Sega Tambour is a dance with origins in slave communities. Energetic and vibrant, couples dance at arm’s length, with what appear to be courtly and country dance movements blending with twerking that would make Beyonce proud. The music depends firstly on the Tambour, with various other percussion instruments including triyang (triangle), bwat (box) and mayo (sticks). There are vocalists too – strong, rhythmic singers chanting in Creole.
Perhaps because of the percussive nature of the music, Sega tambour, which I believe is a style of dance with tambour, percussion and vocals but no other instrumentation, is particularly dynamic, though there are other Rodrigues songs and dances, with the music often supplemented by an accordion player. I tried my best to understand what the women were singing, but Creole is a strange language for those who speak English with a smattering of French. It transpires that most of the songs tell stories of everyday life – a little googling, for example, came up with this beauty.
L’Herbe éléphant (elephant grass) was planted on the island in the 1950s to fight soil erosion and help feed livestock.
In Creole:
“Ca l’année là, nous fine trouve zoli quitchose. Grand grand dimoune. Assise tout ni dans l’éléphant”
“This year, we have seen some beautiful things. Old, old persons. Sitting naked in the elephant”.
The song goes on to tell the story of what goes on in the elephant grass, which I think I’ll leave to your imagination!
Even if the singers are in the somewhat sterile environment of a three-star hotel, there’s a passion in what they chant which is unmistakable. Sega Tambour and the dance/music culture of Rodrigues stems from slavery on the island. The French brought African slaves to the island during the 18th century. But, in 1809, when the British defeated the French and took possession on the island, slavery was abolished. Apart from the tambour and percussion only Sega Tambour, various other dances like the Mazok Sega have clear European origins. I’m guessing that the video below is Mazok Sega, mostly because the rhythmic patterns are so close to that of the Mazurka…
Despite enjoying the performance, I did retire early, just as the spectators were drawn into the dance. The next morning I had to be up before dawn for a trip out to sea to watch the celebrations for the start of the net fishing season.
Fete du Poisson is a major celebration and a Rodrigues tradition.
The island is set in a 240 km lagoon; fishing is the main source of revenue for many Rodriguan families and the total fish caught annually is around twice that of its nearest and rather larger neighbour, Mauritius, at around 1755 tonnes. There are around 1970 registered fishing boats, for an island with a population of around 40,000. Apart from fish, islanders also catch around 500 metric tonnes of octopus, often seen drying on lines around the island.
But, it is important that fishing is sustainable – hence, the seine net fishing closed period which lasts from the start of October to the end of February.
Seine net fishing is a tradition that has been practised in Rodrigues since 1822. The fishermen in long, shallow boats called pirogues, use a semi-circular net and ‘herd’ fish into the net by advancing toward the net, beating the water or the side of the boat with poles. By fishing this way, less damage is done to the coral – the net isn’t dragged through the lagoon but carefully set out using poles to hold it in place.
I was a guest of Tourism Rodrigues on this trip.
I flew to Rodrigues Island via Mauritius with Air Mauritius. There are direct flights from London to Mauritius with Air Mauritius four times a week and further daily flights from London via Paris or Amsterdam. Connecting flights from Mauritius to Rodrigues depart three times a day.
I stayed at Cotton Bay Resort and Spa and at Villa Evasion
What beautiful traditions in Rodrigues Island. It definitely looks like a cultural and beach paradise. I love that you’ve been able to really dive into the experiences, like the sustainable fishing. It looks like an absolutely wonderful escape from hustle and bustle too.
I like that it’s sustainable net fishing, which I’d never heard of. Twerking like Beyonce at night, singing about being naked in the Elephant Grass and fishing during day. That’s some wonderful kind of lifestyle and some fascinating traditions to learn about. Interesting read.
Rodrigues sounds like a little paradise. Perfect timing for your trip to see the traditional dances and experience the fishing. What’s the population of the island? I’m truly fascinated and will read up more about. Mauritius is high on my list and it’s good to know about this gem of an island. The smiles of the ladies warm me up!
Population is around 40,000 – and there are 2,000 or so registered fishing boats!:) It’s about the same size as Jersey in the Channel Isles
I’ve never heard of Rodrigues, but it sounds like a paradise. I love how they’re still connected to historic traditions. I used to dance competitively, so any country that keeps that tradition alive is a winner in my books.
I want to know what these naked old people are doing in the elephant grass and someone must have thought ‘that’s a great idea for a song’, you should have stayed up and joined in the dancing. The Rodrigues Islands do look really interesting, the fishing and food at Baie du Nord looked a fun event.
LOl I agree I really should have stayed up! Too much ti’punch though – the local rum punch!!!
Very interesting. I had to look to see where this island is located. I lived in Martinique for a year, which is also a French island. They sound very similar in their activities, even though Martinique is in the Caribbean. I think it is the Creole influence. Try as I might, I never learned French or Creole while I was there. They mix it and speak so fast my brain could not keep up. I love watching their traditional dances and watching them fish as well. They catch some big ones sometimes.
This isn’t a French island – it was at one point, but that was way back in the 18th Century. The third island of the Mascarene is still French I believe (Reunion). A lot of people on Rodrigues speak French though – although English is the language taught in schools. Creole is REALLY confusing – I speak a little French and I barely understand a word in Creole – though I can work it out when I see it written down!
Wish you would mention where Rodrigues is in the beginning, which country it belongs to. There are so many places of that name. That said, I love how clear the waters are, and how bountiful. Those fishermen caught a lot of fish!
actually Aleah, there is only one island called Rodrigues and it is a country in its own right – though part of the Republic of Mauritius. If you check the overview post I link to in this article, you will find all that information. This is the second in the series, I don’t want to repeat the same information over and over again! That said, I’ve now put another link to the first article in the first paragraph to make it easier.
Fun video! And wow, that island is gorgeous. Love the colour of the water, and how lucky were you to enjoy that sunrise?!
This is so cool to learn about! My parent’s village in the south of Italy also has a large “fish festival” called “Sagra del Pesce” that sounds quite similar. It’s great to learn about how other cultures celebrate!
Yes, I have heard about some of the Italian Sagra! – I’ve only been to the White truffle one in San Miniato – but I’d love to see more!!!
Nice to learn about the traditions of the Rodrigues. It’s good to hear about a form of net fishing which is more sustainable, and about the controls which Rodrigues have put in place to avoid overfishing. Love the video of the dancing, so hope to see this for real when I hit the island soon
I’m glad you appreciate that this is a sustainable form of net fishing, as I explain in the piece. Instead of dragging the nets, they are used as ‘traps’ and the fish are driven into them. That way the bed of the coral isn’t destroyed. The catch is then carefully sorted – small fish are put back as the nets are pulled up.
In addition, the reason there’s a five-month closed season with no net fishing at all is to avoid any over-fishing by an island which is mostly dependent on fish for food. That is to allow the fish population to grow rather than diminish! It’s not the deep sea trawling of the north sea.