Romuald Requena (RE)

Sakifo in Creole is like a victorious rallying cry: ”That’s what is needed!”. Actually that’s what was needed in Reunion; an emerald stone set right in the middle of the Indian Ocean, to get out from its cultural quasi-anony-mity: a festival.

Born in 2004, the Sakifo Festival, first of all schedules the great names of international music who seldom have the opportunity to come over in the region. They usually go back dazzled and mesmerized: Emily Loizeau,Moriarty,Tumi and the Volume,Matthieu Chedid, Cyril Atef and Vincent Ségal have even been under the spell of this island and of the encounters they have made there with the Maloya, the Séga and their most brilliant singers : Firmin Viry, Danyèl Waro, Nathalie Natiembé, Gilbert Pou- nia.

In a week in June, within a warm and hearty atmosphere, the festival offers free concerts on the sea front, several fee payable stages along the beach of Saint-Pierre, and on Sunday morning, a warmed-up plate of rice- the famous traditional “risofé” in a musical ambience in the district of Terre Sainte.

The Sakifo is a springboard as well for the new Reunion stage throughout the Alain Peters Prize, which rewards a promising artist every year.

In the straight line of the festival, the Sakifo Records label signs interna- tional artists: Finlay Quaye, Camille Bazbaz and local talents such as the reggae band Toguna or Maloya-rapper Alex.
From now on, Reunion Island stands on the cultural maps of the world and it has a name: Treasures Island.