Seychelles: Richie B, Sandra Esparon to play Festi Muzik Océan Indien

They will be joined by other artists from six countries across the Indian Ocean region, including Cheikh MC and Goulam (Comoros), Nina Donia and Wawa (Madagascar), Alain Ramanisum and Laura Beg (Mauritius), Choco, Safina and Sourette (Mayotte), among others.

Festi Muzik Océan Indien is organised by the Actions pour l'Internationalisation, le Développement et l'Emergence de L'Ocean Indien (AIDE Ocean Indien) in Reunion Island. AIDE Ocean Indien will donate a portion of the proceeds from the ticket sales to support COVID-19 victims in the six countries, while the remainder will be equally shared among the artists and the organisation to fund future projects.

The festival coordinator for Seychelles, Patel Esparon, said that the two Seychellois artists will each be performing for 10 minutes at the show and that their inclusion in the event was prompted by the nationwide popularity of their collaboration song 'Sorti Ale'.

“Sandra and Richie B have a song that they will sing together,” Esparon told Salifa Karapetyan from the Seychelles News Agency. “Other than that, both artists will be performing two other songs each. They will be performing with two musicians – Ruben on the keyboard and Danny Jules on the guitar.”

Richie B, whose 'Dimoun I Koze' song in January gained significant popularity on TikTok in Mauritius, said he was excited to play for his fans across the region.

“When I got the call to participate in the festival, I realised that the islands of the Indian Ocean are determined to see me perform,” he said. “Before this, I thought that aside from Seychelles, my songs were hits only in Mauritius and Rodrigues. I didn’t know that people from Reunion knew about my music, so this is a great opportunity.”

Esparon, who sings zouk, ragga and Creole music, said: “The biggest advantage is the fact that we will not be mingling with large crowds, hence not putting ourselves at risk. However, I am used to performing before a crowd hence the experience will not be the same. Regardless, I am trying to adapt to the new normal.”

The show will begin at 8pm.Tickets are on sale for £9 ($12), and fans can purchase them via the AIDE Ocean Indien official website or here.