Kaya (Mauritian musician)
| Kaya | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joseph Reginald Topize |
| Born | 10 August 1960 |
| Origin | Mauritius |
| Died | 21 February 1999 (aged 38) |
| Genres | Seggae |
| Instruments | Guitar |
Joseph Reginald Topize (10 August 1960 – 21 February 1999) professionally known by his stage name Kaya was a Mauritian musician and the creator of "seggae". "Seggae" is a fusion of Mauritian sega and reggae; two of the most popular music genres in Mauritius.
Topize was born in Roche-Bois in Port Louis on August 10, 1960, from a family of five children. He was left under the supervision of an uncle as his father, a fisherman, was unable to support his education. Topize did not have a very happy childhood. Being both mulatto and Indian, he was a young victim of racism and found himself left on his own to find odd jobs at the age of 8 years. At 16, he began to learn the guitar. He played hits from artists such as Mike Brant, Santana, Deep Purple, etc., and hosted dances and weddings with his first band, "Wind and Fire".
Topize adopted the name 'Kaya' soon after discovering Bob Marley and reggae music in homage to Marley's album of the same name. Kaya revered Marley and was heavily influenced by him both musically and politically.
Kaya decided to move away from his former music style covering pop-rock groups and became dedicated to both interpret and imitate the music of Bob Marley. Spotted for his talents as a guitarist, he joined the group 'Lélou Menwar'. It was with them that Kaya performed in his first real concert and recorded his first studio album 'Letan lenfer'.
After touring with Lélou Menwar, Kaya gather some friends from his hometown, Roche-Bois, to create the group 'Racinetatan'; named after a Malagasy prince exiled in Mauritius. Kaya and Racinetatan incorporated many of Marley's hits into their performances along with heavily influenced reggae compositions of their own. However, over time Kaya began to question this with the concept of "roots & culture" in mind. Kaya began to see that though he loved reggae and Jamaican culture, this did not fit his reality in Mauritius. In 1986, fueled by his new thought process, Kaya began to mix reggae music in with the local music, Sega.
Kaya also campaigned for the rights of the Mauritian Creole people.
On February 16, 1999, the Republican movement organised a free concert for the decriminalization of cannabis along Edward VII Street to Reduit, a neighborhood near Rose Hill. Five groups were playing, including Kaya.
Rama Valayden, a Republican later to become Minister of Justice, opened the festivities with a speech in favor of the decriminalization of soft drugs, saying: "mo pou amène dépénalisation, sinon mo pas pou dans gouvernement" as reported by the local press. Valayden then asked the crowd for a show of hands in support of resolutions calling for the decriminalization and appealed to Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam for those imprisoned for possession of marijuana to be amnestied. At the time, about 2000 people or 75% of the prison population were imprisoned for soft drugs offences, with sentences ranging from several months to two years.
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