On February 10, the Council of Ministers decreed February 21 as the National Seggae Day in memory of Kaya – its creator. A virtual concert will be given for free tonight from 8:30 to 9:30 pm at the J&J auditorium. It will be visible on the Facebook page of the Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage.
For Ras Natty Baby, this commemoration is a step forward towards the recognition of Seggae: “For me it is the culmination of a struggle that does not stop with this National Day. But, as we had to start somewhere, I think it is very good. Even if it took 23 years after his tragic death for it to be done.
Tian Corentin agrees: “This commemoration is a duty of memory for Kaya and his music. However, due to the lack of structure, I regret that Kaya was not able to take seggae even further on the international scene.
Commenting on the controversy over the date, the seggaeman replied: “Some say that Seggae Day should have coincided with the date of birth of Kaya and not with his death. Except that I Kaya was only a child like the others at his birth. It is only afterwards that he became an accomplished artist. For me, I think it is justified that the date of Seggae Day was assigned to the date of his death.”
Returning to his relationship with Kaya, Ras Natty Baby said that Kaya was for him like a brother: “We went through many things together. I was there for him in his difficult moments. Today I keep the memory of a fighting brother.”
