Kaya

Joseph Réginald Topize (10 August 1960 – 21 February 1999), professionally known by his stage name Kaya, was a Mauritian musician and the creator of "seggae", a fusion of Mauritian sega and reggae, two popular music genres in Mauritius. Kaya died while in police custody (purportedly beaten to death by the police); he was arrested for smoking marijuana during one of his concerts. Musical career Topize was born in Roche-Bois in Port Louis on August 10, 1960, from a family of five children. He was left under the supervision of an uncle as his father, a fisherman, was unable to support his education. Topize did not have a very happy childhood. Being a Mauritian Creole, he was a young victim of racism and found himself left on his own to find odd jobs at the age of 8 years. At 16, he began to learn the guitar. He played hits from artists such as Mike Brant, Santana, and Deep Purple, and hosted dances and weddings with his first band, "Wind and Fire". Topize adopted the name 'Kaya' soon after discovering Bob Marley and reggae music in homage to Marley's album of the same name. Kaya revered Marley and was heavily influenced by him both musically and politically.