Geet-Gawai
Summary
Mauritian Bhojpuri song, instrumental, social and dance practice, particularly associated with women and family/life-cycle occasions. [1] [2]
Contemporary and trending
Family occasions, community transmission and public cultural presentation sustain Geet-Gawai. The national inventory records practice in all nine districts, with particular village concentrations. [1]
History
Bhojpuri song developed an island-specific social life through Mauritian family and community histories. The tradition’s presence should be documented through practice rather than inferred from ancestry alone. [2]
Musical characteristics
Singing, instrumental accompaniment and dance form an integrated social event, often involving women and life-cycle occasions. The repertoire is distinct from consuming imported Hindi film songs. [2]
Geography and communities
Mauritius’s villages and towns; documented concentration in Pamplemousses, Moka, Rivière du Rempart and Savanne with practice across all nine districts. Community and cross-community participation, later public cultural presentation. [1] [2]
Artists
Women singers, instrumentalists and community bearers transmit the repertoire through participation. Cross-community involvement and later public presentation extend that social life. [1]
Representative performances
No recordings have been curated for this entry.
Related genres
Sega shares the Mauritian musical landscape with different histories. Bhojpuri-language song provides a wider linguistic relationship, while Geet-Gawai retains its particular island social form. [1]
References and further reading
Hotspot mushrooms
Mauritius’s villages and towns; documented concentration in Pamplemousses, Moka, Rivière du Rempart and Savanne with practice across all nine districts. Community and cross-community participation, later public cultural presentation. Fields distinguish the community heartland from specifically documented wider use; political borders and population totals do not determine intensity.
The fields express editorial judgments about relative musical affinity and reach, not measured audience shares. Radius is the zero edge of a linear fade; same-genre overlaps combine by maximum.
| ID | Location | Latitude | Longitude | Radius (km) | Strength | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| geet-gawai-mauritius | Mauritian Bhojpuri village–town song networks | -20.2 | 57.55 | 130 | 0.73 | Deep social repertoire within relevant publics, not adequately represented by Indian film music. |