Zebu Nation

Description

Madagascar’s Razia Said Issues a Soulful and Poignant Musical Call for an End to Environmental and Cultural Destruction in her Native Land. Zebu Nation is the outcome of a personal journey that began in February 2007 when Razia returned to Madagascar to reconnect with the land she left as an eleven year-old child. For six weeks she traveled around the country in a van with a group of musicians and a film and audio recording crew. Along the way, she visited inspiring local musicians and saw firsthand the damage done to her homeland’s forests and landscapes. The results of her journey are reflected in the stunning collection of songs featured on Zebu Nation, and in an interactive multimedia website (www.raziasaid.com) that includes songs, pictures and videos from her travels. Featuring Razia’s smooth and soulful voice, Zebu Nation weaves Malagasy music styles such as tsapiky and salegy with contemporary arrangements to create an uplifting and accessible sound rooted in the Indian Ocean island’s strong musical traditions. Zebu Nation features some of Madagascar’s most celebrated instrumentalists including the guitar and marovany (a box lyre) player Dozzy Njava and the world-renowned accordionist Regis Gizavo. “Their presence in these songs really gives this album that special Malagasy feel,� notes Razia. SONGLINES TOP OF THE WORLD Reviews: FROOTS / Songlines / Flyglobal / Friends of the earth magazine / Guardian / Telegraph / Financial Times Radio: World Route / BBC / Radio Ceredignon / Global Gathering / Dublin Radio / 3 Counties Live: LONDON – MOMO’S 16TH MARCH Tracks: Banabao / Omama / Yoyoyo / Salamalama Aby / Ny Alantsika / Slash And Burn / Tsy Tara / Lalike / Tiako Ro / Mifohaza