In addition to being a talent scout, Joyce Veerasamy is also a strong advocate for artists. His recent stance on social networks invited Le Matinal Media to ask him three questions about the recognition of artists in Mauritius.
You have made an outcry on social networks following the disappearance of the singer Lin. Why did you do this?
Because despite his popularity, Lin will be forgotten like other famous artists before him. I think it’s a pity that the state does not honor the memory of our deceased artists. We could very well, for example, give their names to streets, stadiums and others to pay tribute to them. Moreover, how many artists have been decorated by the Republic, even posthumously? Who will still remember them in 100 years when they have never stopped honoring their country? We have a duty of memory towards them, hence the urgency to devote more books to them and that these books be studied in our universities.
So you say that the State is ungrateful to its artists?
I would say that there is an almost ‘innocent’ ingratitude. Innocent in the sense that those in power do not know that it is their responsibility to honor the memory of our artists. In this case, a question arises. Do we still have the right person in the right chair?
Is it too late?
It is never too late to do the right thing. For starters, the government could recognize the contribution of artists like Ras Natty Baby, Marie Josée Clency, Serge Lebrasse and others during their lifetime. Then, I believe that the President of the Republic must be the guarantor of our culture and ensure that our artists do not sink into oblivion.
