Ziskakan

ON SEPTEMBER,20TH 1979, DURING ONE OF HIS MUSICAL OUTINGS OUTSIDE THE COUNTY TOWN, ZISKAKAN WAS TURNED BACK FROM THE THEATRE IN TAMPON. WITH SNAPSHOTS IN SUPPORT OF THIS, THE DAILY (LOCAL NEWSPAPER) REPORTED THE EVENT IN ITS NEXT ISSUE.

IN AN ISLAND POLITICALLY PARTED IN TWO WITH THE SUPPORTERS OF THE DEPARTMENT STATUS ON ONE SIDE AND THE PARTISANS OF THE AUTONOMY ON THE OTHER, RESISTANCE IMMEDIATELY ORGANIZED ITSELF AROUND THIS EMERGING BAND WHO DARED SAY OUT LOUD WHAT OTHERS THOUGHT.

IN THE OPEN AIR OF RICHELIEU SQUARE IN SAINT-CLOTILDE. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE THEATRICAL SETTING OF SAINT-JEAN THEATRE. OR ON THE HEIGHTS OF TAMPON AT TI’ GEORGES HOARAU’S PLACE. ZISKAKAN COULD RELY ON A STRONG NETWORK OF MILITANTS TO DENOUNCE THE EXCESSES OF THE ISLAND “ SHIP ADRIFT”(BATO FOU IN CREOLE LANGUAGE) . THIRTY YEARS LATER, THIS IS NO TIME FOR REGRETS. THE SPLIT BETWEEN THE SUPPORTERS OF THE DEPARTMENT STATUS/AUTONOMY FOLLOWERS HASN’T OUTLIVED THE ELECTION OF THE FIRST SOCIALIST PRESIDENT OF THE FIFTH REPUBLIC. FROM NOW ON, THE MALOYA BELONGS TO HUMANITY WORLD HERITAGE.

IN THE MEANTIME, ZISKAKAN HAS GROWN. ROUND THE CHARISMATIC GILBERT POUNIA, THE “FON- KÉZERS” (STORYTELLERS/POETS)) OF THE BEGINNING HAVE HANDED OVER TO EXCEPTIONAL MUSICIANS. THE BAND HAS EVEN HIT THE PROFESSIONAL LIGHTS IN THE MID-90S THROUGH A HISTORICAL CONTRACT WITH ISLAND RECORD. BOB MARLEY’S RECORD COMPANY. NEW MORNING. CENTRAL PARK. SUN CITY. EVERYWHERE ZISKAKAN HAS SOWN THE SEEDS OF TERNARY MUSIC DIRECTLY ORIGINATING FROM SLA- VERY. A MUSIC ENDOWED WITH MULTIPLE INFLUENCES, SOMETIMES MALAGASY (MADAGASCAR), SO- METIMES INDIAN (BANJARA) THAT THE BAND CARRIES ON EXPLORING AND CAREFULLY RESPECTING THE RECIPE WHICH MADE THEM SUCCESSFUL. A SPICY MUSIC SUPPORTED BY COMMITTED LYRICS.

TWELVE ALBUMS, A RICH REPERTOIRE, TOURING NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL (CENTRAL PARK, AFRICA FÊTE, QUEBEC SUMMER FESTIVAL, FRANCOFOLIES, OLYMPIA, THE CASINO DE PARIS, MONTREUX FESTIVAL; SAARANG FESTIVAL CHENNAI, FILMORE EAST, HOUSE OF BLUES IN LOS ANGELES ...), AWARDS WORLDWIDE (KORA AWARDS IN 1997, CÉSAIRE DE LA MUSIQUE IN 2007, VOICE OF THE INDIAN OCEAN IN 2010) AND A CAPTIVATING JOURNEY, THE ZISKAKAN GROUP RETURNS WITH A NEW CD / DVD RELEASE LIVE AT SAKIFO. WHEN THE PROJECT WAS BEING WORKED OUT, IT WAS SO EVIDENT FOR THE CREW OF ZISKAKAN BAND (ASSOCIATION, MUSICIANS, VOLUN- TARY HELPERS AND TECHNICAL STAFF) AS WELL AS THE SAKIFO TEAM AND BLABLA PROD THAT IT WOULD BE A MAJOR EVENT IN THE CAREER OF THIS BAND, AFTER HAVING PROFOUNDLY LEFT A MARK IN THE MUSICAL SCENE OF REUNION ISLAND.

IT WAS A MAGICAL CONCERT THAT THE BAN OFFERED TO A CONVERTED AUDIENCE ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 7TH AT THE CLOSING OF THE 7TH EDITION OF THE SAKIFO FESTIVAL. RECORDED ON THE LARGEST STAGE BY BLABLA PROD CREW AND STRENGTHENED BY THE PRESENCE OF SURPRISE GUESTS SUCH AS MATTHIEU CHEDID AND ALEX SORRES. WITH A MEMORABLE SOLO GUITAR, MATTHIEU CHÉDID HAS CARRIED AWAY THE FAMOUS HIT “SANSON GAZÉ”WITH ADMIRATION, BETTER KNOWN AS “BONBON” AND WITH THE RAPPER ALEX SORRES, SON OF THE WILD SOUTH AND AWARD WINNER OF THE REGIONAL ALAIN PETERS PRIZE 2009, THE STAGE THRILLS AND TIME FLIES FOR AN HOUR AND 15 MINUTES OF A DENSE AND UNFORGETTABLE CONCERT.

ERICK BENZI WHO HAD ALREADY COLLABORATED WITH ZISKAKAN BAND FOR THE ALBUM “MADAGASCAR”,RELEASED IN 2009, ONCE AGAIN GETS BACK WITH THE CREW ET OFFERS A LIVE SOUND, AS IF WE WERE THERE. ON TOP OF THE JACKET SUPERBLY ILLUSTRATED BY HIPPOLYTE (L’AFRIQUE DE PAPA” DES BULLES DANS L’OCÉAN EDITIONS, SEVERAL PU- BLICATIONS AT GLÉNAT’S...) THE DVD INCLUDES A 15 MN BONUS PART WHERE YOU WILL FOLLOW GILBERT POUNIA AND ZISKAKAN BAND. KENG SAM CHANE CHICK TE AND MAXIME CONJARD’S PRODUCTION IS AT THE CLOSEST WITH THE UNIVERSE OF THE BAND AND REVEALS THE REHEARSAL SESSIONS, THE BACKSTAGE OF THE CONCERT, THE INTERVIEWS... TO OFFER US A COLOURFUL DVD. AN IDEA FROM THE START, A STORY ABOUT AN ENCOUNTER, ABOUT SHARING AND ABOVE ALL SOME LIVE AS WE LOVE IT.