Lanbousir

Lanbousir (L’Emb-ouchure) is Christine Salem’s fourth album of studio-recorded compositions in the traditional maloya style, for voice and percussion ensemble. This album is the result of a personal undertaking to search for her origins by visiting Madagascar and the Comoros islands. La Réunion is actually an overseas department of France and so she had been taught in school that her ancestors were the Gauls – which contradicted her family, who told her that they were descended from slaves. The island of La Réunion was indeed established by the French as a plantation island with slaves taken from nearby Madagascar and Mozambique, and over the following centuries migrations from India and Comoros contributed to La Réunion’s genetic legacy. In Madagascar, Salem was inspired by music from the Antanosy and Antandroy peoples. Her visit to Comoros resulted in a musical collaboration with musicians Soubira Attoumane, who plays the gambousi, (a long-necked five-string lute that is believed to originate from Yemen), and Mmadi Djibaba who plays the dzenzé (a form of box zither with similarities to the valiha).

Salem has a deep voice and sings with a laid-back style, which contrasts well with her backing singers’ bright and energetic sound. Bluesy and at times theatrical, Lanbousir features strong drumming, uncomplicated melodies and a minimalist approach to the instrumental arrangements, resulting in an overall sense of space. Despite Salem’s compositions being written exclusively in Creole, her albums have always remained accessible to a wide audience.