Small Island Big Song: Cooking a Traditional Meal with Local Twists

Leading up to Earth Day, indigenous musicians from Mason Artist-in-Residence Small Island Big Song, an acclaimed collective of artists from Pacific and Indian Ocean island nations, give a live cooking demonstration to make a traditional, sustainable island dish. Led by Emlyn from Mauritius, the workshop will include food samples and musical accompaniment, and is offered in conjunction with the ensemble’s April 20 multimedia concert at the Center for the Arts, with “beautiful cinematography and incredible music…one coherent, jaw-dropping piece” (Billboard).

Ike’s Dining Hall, Presidents Park on Mason’s Fairfax campus

Open to Mason students, faculty, and staff.

FREE, registration required.

Emlyn – Creole heritage, Mauritius

• Featured on CNN, Emlyn is leading a wave of performers across the Indian Ocean proudly reclaiming their unique rhythms and cultural mix. Written with a reactive pen and sung in Mauritian Creole, her songs express her concerns for her island’s environment. Emlyn brings the infectious grooves of Sega with the sounds of her traditional frame drum, Ravann, which originated from the rhythms of African/Madagascan people during the slave trade.

Sammy – Merina heritage, Madagascar

• Sammy followed his passion for Madagascar’s musical heritage by mastering and learning how to make most of Madagascar’s instruments. His efforts came to the notice of the UK’s world music scene as his band ‘Tarika Sammy’ gained international recognition, becoming a regular on major festival stages and being acknowledged as one of the world’s “Best Ten Bands”, alongside U2, by TIME Magazine.