Votia
What a voice! What a communication skill - and what a mood!
For Marie-Claude Lambert-Philéas, music is about family: the Maloya rhythms of her father, the well-known now deceased Gramoun Lélé, flow through her heart and veins. With her husband and children around her, she has created her own Maloya band. Music is their life. Marie-Claude composes and sings her own lyrics in Creole.
Reunion belongs to France, but the Maloya songs are sung in Creole. It is dance music, but also protest music. In the 70s, Maloya music was considered such a threat to France that it was banned until 1991. Maloya music is happy and energetic, but the lyrics are still “the cry of the people” about justice, identity and the relationship with France, especially when it comes to the class divide between the French and the population of Reunion, where many are poor and unemployed.
For Votia, it is important to convey the joy of Maloya music. It is shouts and blues, but above all it is a celebration of the joy of being, the joy of singing, playing and dancing. The great joy of sharing generously. It is strong Maloya, with polyphonic singing and percussion and with elements of Indian and African music that have accompanied her through the years and all the tours with her father. Marie-Claude carries on the legacy, and together with her family she passes on the Maloya tradition to future generations.
Marie-Claude Philéas Lambert - vocals
Fabrice Lambert - rouler, sati, vocals
Judikael Vitry - tampura, takanba, flute, ngoni, vocals
Richelin Mahano - congas, doum doum, vocals
Fabien Boquet - djembe, ngoni, vocals
Jyothi Lambert - rouler, sati, vocals