Windows: Sante do mo pep!

Alongside increasingly worrying political and economic news, this week was also the scene of extremely dense, lively and rich cultural and artistic news. Which also raises many questions. First there was the funeral, this Friday, May 1, of Ras Natty Baby. From Leve do mo pep to New vision, the singer gave us strong anthems that will remain well beyond his earthly disappearance, affirming an identity, but also a strong identification with his message of human commitment and social justice. Alongside Kaya, he also contributed significantly to popularizing a new musical genre, this seggae which is a unique creation in the world, a 100% Mauritian creation, at the crossroads of reggae and sega, this other unique creation, at a time when singing and dancing was nothing less than a crucial tool for survival in the face of mistreatment and the inhumane exploitation of slavery. For this, Ras Natty Baby should have been celebrated. Alas! The last months, even years, preceding his death were nothing but controversies, frustrations, even humiliations. In December 2022, the artist, then aged 68, served a formal notice on the Mauritius Society of Authors (MASA), demanding payment of the monthly allowances that the MASA Benevolent Fund is supposed to pay to artists over 60, of which he had not until then never touched the first penny. This March 30, 2026, the case was postponed until June 16, 2026. But given the urgency of the artist's health problems, the MASA council decided in April to pay him part of the claimed sum, i.e. Rs 153,000. Insufficient in any case to ensure his care, the artist being finally transferred to India for a heart procedure which he will not survive. Beyond, the artists of the Mauritian musical world, who struggle a little more every month, are still waiting from MASA for the forensic audit trail which must establish to whom the Rs 95 million accumulated in his account should be paid... As they wait for the Status of the Artists Act to come into force, finally passed in 2023, still not applied. Because Ras Natty Baby is not the only one. Other very well-known artists have recently been forced to resort to fundraising in order to be able to treat themselves. Why should our artists be condemned to having to pay lip service? In the 1960s, France created the system new intermittent entertainment system, which allows artists and technical staff working in this sector to have annual remuneration throughout the year roughly equivalent to a salary. And if this status finds itself under threat today, a study carried out last year shows that the Cultural and Creative Industries (visual arts, audiovisual, cinema, video games, music, entertainment