This project is part of ‘Indian Ocean Historical Sound Archive: collecting, safeguarding and sharing musical heritage’. It is co-financed by the Interreg VI Indian Ocean 2021-2027 programme, the French Embassy in the Seychelles, the Regional Council of Reunion, the Directorate of Cultural Affairs, and the Departmental Council of Reunion. It follows on from organological studies conducted in Mayotte in 2022 and Reunion in 2023. Building on this work, the PHOI team carried out a collection mission in the Seychelles during October and November 2025.

These accounts, gathered mainly from musicians and instrument makers, aim to celebrate Seychellois musical practices as well as raise awareness of them, ensuring their transmission and longevity for future generations. They offer the general public a chance to rediscover — or indeed discover — traditions, both past and present, as well as the instruments that enrich the region’s varied and diverse identity.

In these podcast episodes, the musicians also share insights into their professional journeys and the day-to-day realities of their work. They provide an overview of cultural life across the Seychelles, touching on ongoing dynamics as well as the difficulties and challenges they face. These testimonies thus shed valuable light on the current state of the music sector in the Seychelles.

In this podcast episode, Thomas Adrien – who comes from a family of musicians, plays moutya on La Digue, and is a member of the group ‘Léko Bwaver’ – highlights the challenges facing local artists today, who have fewer and fewer opportunities to perform. This situation seems all the more paradoxical given that moutya has been inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Thomas also speaks about the practical difficulties he experiences, particularly having to order his drum from Mauritius just to continue doing what was once his profession.

Fanie Précourt