Sega (genre)

Sega
Group performing the sega at Pointe-aux-Piments, Mauritius
Stylistic origins	African music (most notable Malagasy music) and Mozambique
Cultural origins	Mauritius, Réunion,[1] Madagascar
Fusion genres
Santé engagé, seggae
Regional scenes
Mauritius, Rodrigues, Réunion, Seychelles
Other topics
Maloya, Moutya

Sega (French: Séga) is one of the major music genres of Mauritius and Réunion. It is a complete performance art, involving music, story-telling and traditional dance. Musically, the most modern forms common in Mauritius are its fusion genre Seggae and bhojpuri variations, whilst in Réunion we find the addition of maloya, the latter being much closer to the older, typical music influences originating from Madagascar. The variety of different sega forms is reflected in the multi-ethnic populous of the indigenous population of Mauritius.

Sega (Traditional Mauritian Sega, Sega tambour Chagos, Sega tambour of Rodrigues Island) have been included in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage lists.

Sega has its roots in the music of slaves as well as their descendants Mauritian Creole people and is usually sung in Mauritian Creole or Réunionese Creole. Sega is also popular on the islands of Agaléga and Rodrigues as well as Seychelles, though the music and dances differ and it is sung in these islands' respective creole languages. In the past, Sega music focused on traditional percussion instruments such as the ravanne and the triangle, it was sung to protest against injustices in the Mauritian society, this particular version of Sega is known as Santé engagé.