Menwar, the ravanne and the making of sagaï

An instrument at the centre of a creative practice

The ravanne, also written ravann, is a frame percussion instrument central to sega tipik. Menwar’s work keeps that instrument prominent while exploring a musical language associated with his own name and practice. Babani’s artist account describes a path from recordings as Lélou towards sagaï and documents a ravann method published in 1999. Playing, making, recording and teaching are connected parts of that path.

This is a useful distinction when choosing what to hear. An artist can work closely with an instrument associated with traditional sega without producing only sega tipik. Menwar’s repertoire belongs in the guide because it shows what a practitioner can do with that inheritance. Sagaï has a particular history of musical encounters and instrument construction, rather than serving as a loose label for anything played on a ravanne.

From Lélou’s singles to Menwar’s cassettes

Artist material published by the Académie de La Réunion traces his first recordings to two singles from 1977, including Capito and Léti pommé. They were pressed in Madagascar on Discomad’s Green Turtle label. Those details place the recordings within an Indian Ocean network. The story of Mauritian music also involves the places where records were manufactured and the labels through which they circulated.

More singles followed before the cassette Souvenir le Port appeared in 1980 under the name Menwar. Létan lenfer followed in 1982, with Kaya on guitar, and Kiltir dé zil in 1984. The change from the name Lélou to Menwar and the succession of releases offer concrete starting points for exploring the catalogue. Search with both names, and retain the release title when comparing an older record with a later digital edition.

What sagaï means in Menwar’s work

The national intangible heritage inventory records Menwar’s description of sagaï as an encounter between sega, blues, jazz, rock and seggae. The ravann and maravann remain central. The description names several relationships without making them interchangeable. In particular, sagaï is not another spelling of seggae, the Mauritian meeting of sega and reggae associated with Kaya and other musicians.

The name also connects music to everyday objects and work. The inventory gives associations with a fishing harpoon, a spear and a mattress-maker’s rod. These meanings matter alongside the list of musical influences. They place the creative vocabulary close to the materials Menwar handles and the instruments he constructs, giving sagaï a more specific context than the general word fusion would provide.

Shells, cans and the possibilities of percussion

The same inventory describes Menwar making instruments from everyday materials, including shells, cans and rods used by mattress makers. Instrument making is therefore part of the documented artistic practice. It changes the range of objects available to an ensemble and makes the musician’s decisions about materials part of the resulting musical language.

When watching a credited performance, look for the relationship between an object and the action used to sound it. Which instrument is being shaken, struck or handled in another way? Treat that as an observation exercise rather than assuming that every object mentioned in the inventory appears in every recording. A stage view and a catalogue description offer different kinds of information, and together they can make the percussion easier to follow.

Choose a named entry into the recordings

Pop Lékonomi is the Menwar selection in this guide’s listening route. Use the credited recording linked from his artist profile to begin, then explore the wider catalogue. Babani documents projects including Kiltir dé zil, Leko rivyer nwar and Ay ay lolo. The release titles are more useful search anchors than an anonymous upload described only as Mauritian drumming.

For a first pass, listen to the recording as a complete performance. On a second pass, focus on percussion and notice where your attention moves between the voice and the instruments. These are suggested ways of listening, not a claim about a particular beat or arrangement. If you want a comparison, return to a named sega tipik recording and consider how the instruments are presented within each artist’s documented practice.

Learning from a musician who also makes instruments

Babani’s account records Menwar’s ravann method in 1999. A documented method adds a teaching dimension to the recordings and instrument making. It shows that his relationship with the ravanne includes explaining an approach to others, as well as using it in his own projects. A date attached to the method does not establish that a lesson or workshop is available today.

For a learner, the useful next step is to distinguish three interests. You may want to study traditional ravanne playing, understand Menwar’s own approach, or explore instrument construction. Explain which of these you are seeking when contacting an organisation or teacher. The guide’s learning and instrument pages provide documented enquiry routes. Current sessions, materials, teaching language and access need confirmation from the person offering them.

Hear the connections without losing the differences

Kaya’s guitar contribution to Létan lenfer is a specific connection between two musicians whose later musical identities are often discussed separately. It is worth following because it replaces a simple set of genre boxes with an actual collaboration. The recording belongs to Menwar’s catalogue, while Kaya’s work with Racinetatane provides another path into Mauritian music.

Carry that attention to credits into further listening. The name of the artist, the named collaborators, the release title and the edition help establish what you are hearing. Menwar’s story offers several routes onward: early recordings as Lélou, cassette-era projects, sagaï, handmade percussion and ravanne teaching. Choose the route that interests you, while keeping the others in view as connected parts of the same creative life.

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