Following the organological surveys conducted in Mayotte in 2022 (co-financed by Archipel.eu) and in Réunion Island in 2023 (REACT-EU), the PHOI team of the Regional Centre for Contemporary Music of Réunion Island is embarking on a new phase of its research and efforts to promote the musical practices of the islands of the south-western Indian Ocean. This project, entitled “Historical Sound Library of the Indian Ocean: Collecting, Safeguarding and Sharing Musical Heritage”, is part of both a heritage and a scientific approach. It is co-financed by the European INTERREG VI Indian Ocean 2021–2027 programme, under Action Sheet 3.3, “Strengthening cultural, artistic and sporting exchanges in the Indian Ocean.”

Carried out between October 2025 and December 2027, the project aims to document the musical traditions of the Seychelles, Mauritius and Réunion Island through an approach combining organological and ethnomusicological research. The material collected will be promoted and made accessible through various formats: systematic inventories, mapping, academic and public-facing publications, and audiovisual productions (podcasts, reports, playlists and radio programmes). These resources will provide both the general public and the academic community with reference documentation on traditional musical practices, both historical and contemporary, thereby contributing to the transmission of the region’s distinctive musical heritage.

The project also includes a wide range of cultural and educational activities aimed at different audiences: an introduction to traditional instrument-making techniques through instrument-making workshops; historical and theoretical contextualisation of Indian Ocean music through lectures; and the publication of a book on the popular music of Réunion Island. In addition, a series of virtual exhibitions will complement these activities, offering in particular a critical perspective on the history of producers and phonographic productions in the 20th century, within a digital mediation framework.

This programme represents a decisive step towards completing the development of the phoi.io digital platform, which will be enhanced with new features and adapted into a mobile application. This will ensure broader and long-term access to the project’s outcomes and to its archival musical resources.

Fanie Précourt