On attend une prise de position de Immedia. Sinon leur silence et leur complicite dans cet acte de censure est Honteux

Alain Gordon-Gentil , ce n'est pas toi qui dcide .C'est plutt sa caste qui dcide et qui aura le dernier mot.

The Tamil community has decided that 2 of the songs of Susheela Raman were offensive because it used Tamil prayers and the deity Murugan, mainly worshipped by Tamil Hindus, in an inappropriate manner, and prevented the singer from singing them. This is none of the concern of Alain-Gordon Gentil. If Jacques Brel was allowed to sing Les bigotes or if another singer comes along and do a Jesus Christ Superstar stunt, this is up to the Mauritian Christian community to decide, not the Tamils. Alain-Gordon Gentil has no idea what freedom of expression really means. Indo-Mauritians do not need him to teach us our beliefs, languages and cultures, and how we should protect them from ridicule, sacrilege and blasphemy. The problem is that Art and Culture Minister Mookessur Choonee should not have made silly comments, like A-G Gentil is doing, in the first place, only to realise later he was wrong and retracted, rightly. It is the press which is has blown this all up. The virtually unknown Susheela Raman, who was born near where I live in London, is described in the Mauritian press as an popular international singer, which is utterly false, simply because they want to use her to further creolise (or jamaicanise) Mauritians through French lacit and crolit. Indo-Mauritians are taking conscience that their cultures and languages are being trampled upon, and who best to use than one amongst them to do it. The Tamil Susheela Raman has been too europeanised or jamaicanised and she is trying to impose this on others through her songs. This is not how devotional songs are sung. She should take lessons from the great Anup Jalota. Mauritian Tamils are right to reprimand her. If she is not happy, she should sue the Mauritian government, and assign Alain-Gordon Gentil and those so-called members of the platforme de citoyens suddenly popping up from nowhere as her witnesses. What is art for A-G Gentil is certainly trash for others. For AGG the words Je vais, je vais et je viens entre tes reins et je me retiens in the song Je taime moi non plus , by Serge Gainsbourg et Jane Berkin, may be art, but for others they are pornographic trash.

Mo napa touzour daccord ar AGG mais la mo bizin dire li bravo. Enfin ene dimoune de responsabilit ki dire stop a banne idiots ki gouverne nou.

May be we should think over if the song of Boy George "bow down mister" should continue to be played in our country- similarly for colonial cousins etc etc. There is a difference between religion and culture and to see this difference , one should be really wise. unfortunately it seems there are very few of these people here...

I posted a comment on the Forum in the middle of the day and it did not pass. It was an unobtrusive comment protesting against using tax money to fund socio cultural groups and it went unpublished. On the other hand you dare publish the interminable block coming from Raffic Soormally an islamist just like Abu Hamza who is mixing jamaica & creole issues with Susheela Raman. Shame on you L'Express for your impartiality.

Ne dit-on pas souvent: "Si vous n'aimez pas a, n'en dgoutez pas les autres ?...

qui sanne la pli piow,`?,,
ministre la ou dimoune kine choisir li pou exerrcer au nivo ministeriel?

Rafic, who died and made you king of my opinions?
The whole thing flew over your head. If you don't agree with her music, DON"T buy a ticket and DON'T go to her concert.

hindu tamil jamais ti p tander sa

sorry Raffic,it's not the tamil people that have banned Sushil,it's those bigots from the tamil authority who does not speak for all the tamils.furthermore they are hippocrites when traditional has been fused and sound more like segas and in cavadee people are disrespecting by chatting on the phone and gossiping,so these guys should get their house in order.Ok sushil might not be a well known person,but she sings with great bhakti(devotion)those people are only control freaks who probably don't have a clue about the hindu faith,we are taught tolerance,freedom of expression,respect,all that have been violated,i'm ashamed being from tamil speaking people and have let an artist down,she was not being disrepectful,far from it,i also express myself different from others,that does not make me a sinner,i sing,check my profile on FB,i'm going to sing anywhere and everywhere in my own style.....

il y a des signes de commencement d'incendies, quand a tort ou a raison quand des groupes religieux s'exprime sur la place publique pour censure le droit d'expression. Que voulons-nous la paix l'unite et l'harmonie ou bien des emeutes Kaya ou des bagarre 68. La religion doit etre une chose personnel ou prive. C'est dangereux pour l'unite de notre pays l'ampleur que prend les lobbies religieux. De quoi ont peur certains groupuscules religieux. Y a t-il un effritement on dirait qu'il y une peur. Est ce a cause que leurs jeunes ont tres peu de consideration a certaines valeurs religieux ou casteiste? Que se passe t-il dans le concret de la vie des mauriciens et quelles valeurs sont en train de se perdent et comment retrouver une ile Maurice as one people as one nation? Attention a ne pas allumer un feu difficile a eteindre. en tous cas ce qui est inevitable c'est nous allons vers une une maurice de l'unite dans la diversite vers une ile Maurice de l'unite dans la mixite dans le metissage.

Wep, au moins une once d'intlligence du ct gouvernemental. Gageons que la voix de l'homme de culture qu'est Alain Gordon-Gentil ne soit pas elle aussi censure.

Well said AGG. this is about freedom of artistic and cultural expression of a secular society and not about offending religious sensitivities. Susheela Rahman is an internationally prize winner artist well known for her fusion of different types of music forms. Censoring her song Paal (which is widely available on YouTube by the way) was a retrogade and backward decision. Where do we stop? For decades, artists have innovated with mixing genres and cultures to innovate. The Beatles sang Hare Krishna song, Madonna mixed christian references with her songs as well as many others well known successful artists. To Mr Soormally, how would you feel if your views (about creolisation etc) were censored as many people might find your views quite intolerant and racist (especially coming from a diverse and multicultural city such as London)? You should think again before writing such extreme views, as I sincerely believe most Mauritians are raised to tolerate each others beliefs and culture. It is not normal that a few self appointed socio-religious leaders dictate the cultural directions of a multicultural society of a rainbow nation such as Mauritius. Live and let live.

Ajay, you are in no position to teach me about music. You do not know enough. Please, do not try me. But, are we really talking about Susheela Ramans music or about the fact that she has used sacred words and the name of deity Murugan in her songs in a way that Tamil Hindus object to. Your argument If you don't agree with her music, DON"T buy a ticket and DON'T go to her concert ..... I can easily tell you that if you do not like what I write, dont read it. How does this sound to you? In fact, you should read it and make your contribution, ...... I strongly advise you to listen to Anup Jalotas devotional songs, such as Aisi Lagi Lagan and Bharat Bhai Kapi Se Urin Hum Nahi , or Quasidas to understand how devotional songs should be treated. Maybe you prefer sgas like Bousse to li bousse to li bousse to lizi, tire to cal .. tire to cal tire to calpa and Gros mari pisse dans baquet .

The majority of Tamil people who are Murugan devotee are 100% with the MTTF....Rajendra, only those who are disconnected with religion can't feel the offensive nature when such religious hymes are banalized....Lesson for Susheela from Mauritius Murugan devotees....Many thanks Raffic for trying hard to break the ice of preconceived minds

Mr Rafic, you being older does not put you in a position to choose in my place either. Once freedom of expression is squashed using respect of religion as an excuse, ultra conservatives will start taking that for granted. In the future, taking into consideration ultra conservatives keep having their way, we'll start seeing the burning of movie theaters because it is showing a movie which displeases them. If I don't like what you write, I am commenting about it. I am not petitioning or pressuring anyone to remove your articles. This is the freedom that you enjoy from London, being able to write without being censored. Would you be able to write some of your articles while residing in some other places of the world? I bet not.

Dans ce cas, il faut, toutes affaires cessantes, conseiller au chef des crtins de se dbarasser de ce petit crtin au plus vite pour arrter les dgts. Sinon, le clan et le camp des crtins perdureront. Au fait, mme avant le 20 sicle il y avait des gens qui vivait de manire "moderne". Ils n'taient pas des suiveurs, faire une dclaration suppose fracassante de temps en temps pour se dire au-dessus (ou en-dessous) du lot, mais allaient jusqu'au bout de leur conviction. Attitude qui existe de moins en moins au 21 sicle....

how come that some people from the MTTF DECIDE FOR THE whole TAMIL COMMUNITY in mauritus?
was the concert meant for the tamils only or whole mauritus?
wasnt Immedia aware of her songs? why then invite the artist for a show here?she sings ennapane in her own style , does it make her less religious or 'believer'' or someone of a lessser faith than these '' hard religious mauritians tamils '?

To all those who know the world through French eyes (TV): Why is Dieudonne banned from many theatres and TV or why is Tariq Ramadan not allowed to discourse in French universities when he is a torch-bearer elsewhere? That said we are making a storm out of idle, indoctrinated and uninformed minds obviously. Mr Soormally is right the freres des loges must be jubilating. Wheras Susheela Raman she is a passionate performer compared to many "religious" performers who are simply giving a bad name to sacredness through their superficially mediocre performances!

Sacred works and deity names are in the eyes of the beholder. How can one decide to censor an artist who has decided to chant her beliefs in her own very special way, which is appreciated by millions around the world? Censorship is equivalent to dictatorship because it is imposing one beliefs on others. Mauritius is no such society and the people who have not still understood this should go back to their drawing board.

HI ...I PERSONALLY THINK THAT OVER HERE IN MAURITOUS WE DON'T HAVE MUCH SPORTS/LEISURE FACILITIES IN EACH LOCALITY FOR RELAXING OURSELVES AFTER A HARD DAY AT WORK.... THEREFORE WE JUST NEED AN EXCUSE TO 'RELAX'/'DEBATE' ON TRIVIAL MATTERS..SINCE THEY HAVE NOTHING TO ELSE TO DO , THEY TEND TO USE THEIR 'FREE' TIME IN USELESS AND TRIVIAL DEBATE ...JUST FEW WEEKS BACK I AM SURE SOE OF THEM WERE NOT EVEN AWARE OF WHO SUSHEELA RAMAN IS AND WHAT IS HER SORT OF MUSIC... CHILL GUYS ...LET'S NOT WASTE OUR TIME DIVIDING!!! WE SHOULD RATHER FIND A WAY TO COME TOGETHER ALWAYS!! HAVE YOU EVER SEEN HOW MAURITIAN FROM DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS BELIEF AND CASTE ETC LIVE HAPPILY OUTSIDE OF MAURITIUS??? SO WHY NOT IN MAURITIUS... COME ON GUYS GROW UP !! CHEERS :)

Finalement, Susheela Raman devrait remercier ces crtins de la MTTF pour cette norme publicit. Je ne la connaissais pas mais grace cette polmique, je dcouvre, comme tant d'autres, une artiste formidable. Merci la MTTF pour cela.

Mais je pleure pour mon pays. Nous avons encore normment de chemin faire tant que des idiots comme Choonee auront encore leur mot--dire et le gouvernement, par peur de perdre des votes, sera la merci d'extrmistes arrirs comme les dirigeants de la MTTF. Tout a me dgote!

@Raffick Soormally, li impresssionnant couma to ena autaut petitesse d'esprit, to ene dimoun ki paret pa ouvert di tout, Maurice supoos ene democracie et nous de surcroit ene Rpublique cote libet d'expression exist, sakene gagn droit exprime so l opinion, ki li plaire toi ou pas! Et c pas a tel comosante hindou, chrtien soi lot pu dcide pu so commnaut, to pe nek pense en terme appartenance religieuse alors ki nou tou nou mauricien, la religion c ene zafair priv, li aide nou emancip en tant qu individu, au niveau spiritiuel. To ine dir to ine vivre ds l'Angleterre toi, be prend exemple ar bane la, zot ena bcp plus libert d expression, ziska extrmiste tt gagn droit faire discours tt labas, parski banla respect libert de parole! Dans sa cas Raman la, c nek 2 3 dimoun ki fine dcide pu tt bane spectateurs! Couma Ajay pe dir, si to pa content bane sant Raman, be nek pas al so concert, laiss li exprime li ! eski li fine insult dimoun? eski li fine fair kiksoz grave? NON, bez sa pays la ki pe vini, association relaigieuse pe dict tout aster, dimain apr dimain nu pu vine ene pays kot ena dictature si continu coumsa, deza avec sa gvt la, c plus ou poins le cas!

Mr Ajay, again you miss the point. Who is talking about age? Who said I was older than whom, and what has age got to do with it? Ultra conservatives, fundamentalists, extremists are all terms invented by Europeans with the meanings distorted and used as weapons to subjugate non-European cultures, languages and ways of life. You can do no better than copy them, probably because of you have lost your identity yourself and suffers from some form inferiority complex. Many of my articles have been consored by so-called believers in freedom of expression simply because it does not fit their editorial line. Even my reply to you has been censored because I described you as F- - - - - H, which you are for suggesting that if I allegedly do not like Susheelas songs do not listen to them or buy tickets for her concert. However, Thierry Bechard is not censored for saying des idiots comme Choonee . Susheelas offending songs have absolutely nothing to do with freedom of expression.

You are hiding behind a pseudonym to delve in areas which you do not understand. Maybe you should use the pseudonym PEEPING TOM! The fact that pornographic material is available on the internet, according to your own extremist thinking, it should be made freely available to Mauritians on Mauritian soil in the name of freedom of artistic cultural expression of a secular society. You are using the term secular (which is itself a term borrowed from the Church) without even knowing what it really means. If you want to be secular, why cant others be religious? You are just copying the extreme politics of others. If Christians accept that Madonna mixes Christian references in her interpretation of songs and, what you are not saying, make sexual gestures in the process, such as masturbation, what has this got to do with the Tamils of Mauritius and their stance to protect their religion and culture from profanity? Why dont you invite Madonna to perform in Mauritius and perform those Christian numbers? AS far as the creolisation of Mauritius is concerned, this has to do with politics and history, and nothing to do with the profanity of others religions. You are speaking as if Creole is a religion, arent you, and that the words of crolit are so sacred that followers like you are offended? This is what your politics want it to appear like, but you are mistaken. A Creole is a white European born in a slave colony such as Martinique, Guadeloupe, Mauritius. A Creole is also a Slave who speaks the creole language (a mixture of the language of the slaves with the language of the master, such as French, English, Spanish) with their masters. In the latter case, a Creole is someone who speaks the slave language. Amongst Creoles (Afro-Mauritians) are Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Atheists, etc. but people like you have turned it into a racist Creole which only refers to Christians. In the case of Mauritius, creolisation is a racist process designed, originally through the tourist and music industries, to engulf the cultures of Indo-Mauritians through propaganda by making them feel inferior. People are quite entitled to strike down racist ideologies. Susheelas music has been creolised in the UK mainly through Jamaican (not really western) music, the type of music with incantations to pull the audience under her spell and often associated with the use of drugs, such as ecstasy, and free sex, which she is trying to export to Mauritius. But she is not free to use sacred words associated with the deity Murugan worshipped by mainly Tamil Hindus. This is where the objection lies, and justifiably so. I do not know whether Alain-Gordon Gentil is a Creole Muslim, Hindu, Christian or Atheist, but he certainly should learn more about the religions of others before talking such nonsense, especially for a man of such fine calibre. If you really want to know what I mean, you should go back and read his pieces in the former Le Mag magazine, or even get hold of his book Le droit lexcs , which is well worth reading.

Monsieur Bechard, comment se fait-il que vous ne connaissiez pas une si fameuse artiste internationalement reconnue, si lont croit lExpress ? tes-vous un Tamoul Hindou pour pouvoir juger loffense quaurez cause Susheela Raman ? Les Mauriciens ne savaient mme pas que les Tamouls sont majoritairement Hindous parce que la politique divisait la communaut hindoue. Comment osez-vous traiter les Tamouls ou la MTTF dextrmistes pour vouloir protger leur culture et leur religion ? Comment osez-vous traiter Monsieur Choonee d idiot . Cest bien vous lextrmiste et lidiot. Dans un sens, Susheela Taman a aid unifier la communaut tamoule Maurice. Si vous tes parent avec Solange et Maryse Bechard, mes anciennes voisines lImpasse Thodore Sauzier Curepipe, merci de transmettre mes amitis.

Traitons Thierry Lagesse de voyou, Robert Ahnee de complex, Raj Meetarbhan d'idiot utile, JP Lenoir de raciste M. Bchard et vous tes censur. Ayez le courage de publier cela M. Kalla ou autre!

@M Rafic Soormally: Ou habite UK et ou encore p pense coume sa ??!! si ou na quik chose contre jamaique, b alle en Inde, non? C'est qui mo pas comprend, c'tait ene concert priv ou publique? pay par fond priv ou public? mais peu importe, maurice reste maurice cote dimoune (pas tous heureusement) encore na l'esprit brid. Merci AGG pour ce commentaires.

"Ces chansons devotionnelles " sont dediees au Dieu Mouraga . Il n y a rien de reprehensible a ce que lles soit remixees, mais soit rendues populaires pour etre chanter n importe ou et par n importe qui, j estime comme les tamoules le pensent c vraiment abherrant. Je comprends que c pendant la fete du " Cavadee" qu on entend ces chansons la. C tout dire. Comment donc approuver que c pendant un concert que ..De grace cela n a rien a faire avec la liberte d expression. Enrico Mathias a du annuler son concert ici non?
Le ministre Choonee et Rama Ont raison. Oui mille fois oui pour leurs postures. Bravo.

Ouf !Pas pou fini avec sa.Astere sa ine vine ene zaffaire d'etat cotte ene adviser PM pe oser refute ene ministre de letat Mauricien.Tou cela parce qui mo croire qui sous couvercle pays mutireligieux ena qui pas fouti capave comprend qui ena banne sujets qui extrement sensible.Couma dire demain si ene artiste dessine banne motif religieux lors papier toilet zotte pou trouve sa normale! Missier Gentil pou dire pas tousse nous artiste..Susheela Raman encore jeune ,mo ti pou demane li essaye comprend couma ene ti pays couma maurice pe capave vive en harmonie mais qui partout pe batailler a cause la religion.Essaye ecoute version originale la missier Gentil apres ou ava donne ou lopinion.

Whatever but please, do not mingle with us Europeans. As long as you stay away from Europe/America/Australia you can do whatever you want and remember: Milk and oil cannot mix and they will never do.

@Soormally: Hello Mr Rafic Soormally from London. The last time I checked Mauritius is a free country and we don't need anyone to teach us about creolisation, religious sensitivities, secularism or culture, thank you. As for your other muddled points, you're mixing so many issues that you've lost yourself in the process of defending the indefensible: the intolerant cultural censorship in the name of religion by a few self-appointed socio-religious representatives. As for your personal attacks, I won't waste time in responding, but only to say this: Hitler burnt books in the name of fascism and homogeneous thinking - leading to the holocaust. For others who think that this is not an important issue, think again - freedom of expression is very important, even to allow extremist views to be heard, understood and taken note of. It is due to freedom of thought (and not by censorship) that the world has made quantum leaps of progress. Like I said, Mr Soormally, if you can understand the power of free-thinking, Live and let live. All the best.

ABOUT RAFIC SOORMALLY......I HAVE ALMOST NEVER AGREED WITH THIS GENTLEMAN BUT I MUST SAY ONE THING.WE MUST ADMIRE HIM AND RESPECT HIM FOR ONE THING.HIS GUTS PERSEVERANCE AND SKILL TO DEFEND ANOTHER MAN'S CULTURE.
ABOUT THE TOPIC ITSELF I WILL SAY ONLY THIS. A MAN'S FREEDOM STOPS WHERE ANOTHER MAN'S FREEDOM STARTS.HE WHO WHO DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THIS IS ONLY LOOKING FOR TROUBLE!

Chanson sacr ce chanson sacr.Li pena son place dans concert commercial sa mo camarade! Li bizin rest zis dans cavadee.Bravo Mr Chonnee well done.Si bizin interdit ban chanter devotionel pou pas cause prejudice,bizin fair.Ar nu non!

Comme mon pere disait parfois se referant a certains aspects de la politique a Maurice, "Quel caca brouille!"..c'est ce que je pense moi aussi d'ailleurs. Qui est ce Sushee Raman qui 'a chante dans le monde entier'? est-ce qu'il est aussi celebre que Macias ou Aznavour?? La plupart de ceux qui sont dans des postes haut places du gouvernement n'auraient pas la moindre idee de la richesse de la culture francaise. C'est comme si vous demanderez a un charretier de s'occuper d'un cheval de course???