KAYA

Joseph Reginald TOPIZE aka KAYA was a Mauritian singer and musician born on August 10, 1960 in Port-Louis and died on February 21, 1999 in detention in the "Alcatraz" prison of the central barracks (police headquarters) of the capital of Mauritius. He is considered the creator of SEGGAE (with his band RACINE TATANE), an original tropical music mixing REGGAE and SEGA (traditional music of the sister islands Mauritius & Reunion Island) which took off in the late 80s. He is the most popular Indian Ocean artist of the 21st century. His music and work are internationally recognized and have inspired and continue to inspire many artists around the world. The revolting circumstances and never condemned by the justice of those responsible for his death (homicide) have made him a myth that continues to grow as the years go by. His timeless and timeless music has not finished warming our hearts as much as questioning us on the societal issues particularly prevalent in our society…