The arrival of tourists does not make only happy. The artists evolving in the hotel circuit say they can no longer count on this industry. A monopolization of contracts by unscrupulous people would be the cause.
The artists of the hotel circuit cry to the shenanigans. Many, like Yoni Sauterelle, say they can no longer make a living from their art in this environment: “I created the troupe Échos des îles in 2008. Since then, we have regularly performed in several hotels. With the reopening of the borders, we expected to resume our activities. However, so far no hotel has contacted us. Because of their political connections, some people are getting all the contracts to provide entertainment in the country’s hotels.
According to Yoni, from now on, if his troupe wants to work, he must agree to lower his rates. This is for him, inconceivable: “With this monopoly, many artists agree to lower their rates. By ethics and for the respect of our art we refused to do the same. As a result, we did not get any contracts. Today, several members of our troupe have had to find other jobs to support their families.
Choreographer Jason Louis is also affected by this situation: “Some hotels respect your creations. Others don’t hesitate to ask you to lower your prices in order to get work. But those who do this don’t know that there is a great investment in the creation of a show. There’s also a lot of copinage in this business.”
In a video posted on Facebook, producer Jonathan Bécherel urged artists to join the Union des Artistes: “Artists who want to defend their rights must join this union. Otherwise, the situation is likely to get worse.”
