A group of 13 young people from Anse Boileau, Plaisance and Perseverance schools are participating in a two-day workshop where they are learning how to play mutia drums and other things to do with this instrument.
The workshop, which started yesterday morning at the International Conference Center, is part of the activities organized by the Seychelles Creative Agency to celebrate the Moutya Festival that is taking place this whole week.
Present at the opening of the workshop yesterday was Mr. Emmanuel D’Offay, chief executive of the Seychelles Creative Agency and Honorary Ambassador for Culture, Mr. Patrick Victor, who is also directing the workshop.
During this workshop, the young people intend to learn about the history of the mutya drum, including the mutya itself and how the mutya drum is manufactured.
In the first session last year, which was led by Mr. Patrick Victor, these young people had the opportunity to discover the types of wood that drums are made of, the type of clay and how to hold and beat the drums.
“Since Moutya has been recognized by Unesco ( United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ), we have decided this year to hold the Seychelles Moutya Festival. Of course, in the festival we are not just entertaining, we have brought more academic things as well, and this year in this festival there are two workshops that have been organized,” Mrs. Margaret Raguin, director of events at the Seychelles Creative Agency, said.
Mrs. Raguin added that in order to deepen the education of the mutia, the elders brought the young people to the hotel after they participated in a children’s festival in Zen. In this two-day workshop, this group of young people will learn about the origin of the mutia, its origin, sound and preparation.
“We as young people continue to learn about our culture, continue to keep our traditions and there are many things about our relationship that we love and our young people know,” Mrs. Raguin said.
Mrs. Raguin has come out that most of the people who dance mutya or beat the mutya drum are old enough and for that reason the young people have been brought forward to learn the techniques on this earth.
Culture officer from the National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Seychelles, Alain Jules, said that this group of young people from three different schools were chosen because their school was the first three winners of the mutia dance competition.
“This is a continuation of making the family learn the mutya drum,” he said.
He also made a comeback later in the year for the children to also learn to compose original mutia songs.
Last year, the young group also saw the different sizes, thicknesses and types of wood that are used to make drums, the type of clay that is used and also learned that the mortar is composed of surplas.
Mr. Jules said that this group of young people is learning well enough and that they have arrived because of the desire to know this place.
He said that they plan to go to school for this competition in the future and see a healthy team, one that dances and one that beats drums.
This officer says that the purpose is to bring the relationship further, preserve it in the minds of children so that they grow up with this knowledge.
One of the participants, Andrea Matombé, said that it was meaningful to learn about mutia and its history.
This young girl is a mutya dancer and has never learned to play the drums before.
He says that learning to play is not complicated but it is also a pleasant experience.
These 13 participants will continue to learn more about mutya today during the 2nd day of the workshop.
Our selection of portraits shows some of the moments that opened this workshop last year.
Source: Seychelles Nation