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I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music.

Billy Joel

Today we have experienced two important things that have everything to do with the culture of a country or people. We started the day with a ride through the very varied landscape of Reunion. From the rugged coasts to palm trees. To finally arrive in the black, bare moon landscape of the dried up lava flows. Volcanoes are inextricably linked to the island and its form. Part of the population of Reunion uses these forces of nature in a very special way.

We received helmets, reminiscent of the miner's lamps that I know from my own country and were used in the mines of the province of Limburg in the south of the Netherlands. We descended into the lava tunnels and the views were spectacular. Beautifully shaped corridors in which it was clearly visible that the lava had flowed through it with full force in 2001, not so very long ago! After discovering the tunnels we concluded with another very important part of every culture: music! The locals treated us to a musical performance in the lava cave! Very special to see and hear! Songs about the island, the volcano and more. Performed very well by making use of the acoustics of the cave . For me, this is culture: being able to deal with your environment and being able to adapt it to your own preferences.

It was a truly beautiful and emotional experience.

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Many forms of performing arts are under threat today. As cultural practices become standardized, many traditional practices are abandoned. Even in cases where they become more popular, only certain expressions may benefit while others suffer.

On day 2 we gathered in the hotel lobby for a 90 minute drive to the lava fields of Réunion. As we arrived I was stunned by the amazing sights. On the right there was the wild ocean and on the other hand you could see the mountains. We were picked up by Julien and he took us to a hole in the ground. I almost felt like Alice in Wonderland when I had to go through it. Down we entered a whole silent and dark world. To be quite honest, after crawling and bumping my head (luckily I wore a helmet) I got anxious about what could happen if I got lost in the dark. Fortunately there was light at the end of the tunnel and there was a sweet treat. 4 Réunion men gave a private concert with their instruments. The moment they started playing I was overwhelmed because of the simpleness of just 4 instruments and the connection between the 4 men. Especially the young boy with 'La Calabasse' playing and looking and smiling to his, I assume, father was beautiful to watch at. They started singing about the vulcanoes spitting fire, the birds singing their songs and the people who had to live with the danger of nature and the beauty of nature. Music, no matter in which culture, is a language which is connecting.

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Apart from its physical aspect, the rhythmic movements, steps and gestures of dance often express a sentiment or mood or illustrate a specific event or daily act, such as religious dances and those representing hunting, warfare or sexual activity.

Today was all about performing arts and culture. There have recently been many volcanic eruptions in Reunion. The people in Reunion are used to this. Lava tunnels have been created during some eruptions. We have visited one of these tunnels. We wore a helmet with light, knee pads and glove. We crawled through the tunnel to finally have a workshop in that tunnel about local music based on rhythm and sometimes mixed with melodies. Impressive was how rhythm is part of the music and the instruments used for that, such as the gourd. The fun while playing was clearly recognizable, especially that between father and son. You could clearly see that music connects, also in families.

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Yesterday we went on a trip to the preserved lava tunnels of Réunion. These reveal the hidden mysteries of the geological history of this Island. The volcanic bowels of Reunion Island are criss-crossed by countless tunnels, formed by lava flows whose upper crust cooled while the magma continued to flow. Some of them have been created very recently, such as Grand Brûlé. While visiting, you must pay attention to the fragility of this amazing environment, that the guide wants to protect from any damage. In the profound silence of these depths, I felt like we were alone in the world. At every step the light of our lamps reveals an increasingly spectacular mineral landscape. It was very cool. Afterwards we were listening to some music, which was fun as well!

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"Heritage happens through making music, it is in the instruments, the ways of playing them, and the ideas about the sounds. It’s in the stories, the musical repertoires, instrument materials and the sounds."

The best thing about the music is that it conveys the feelings and emotions and can be understood and shared without language barriers. It is the language of creativity, the language of humanity.
Create a special atmosphere to share the music for a better understanding! The unique stage under the lava field, in the tunnel where the water drops become the instruments and the light creates the moving shadows on the glistening chocolate walls... Absorb the silence, absorb the sound, absorb the emotion...

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We started today with meeting Rita at hotel.

We are going to Lava tunnel today. It was about a 1:15 hour drive from the hotel. On the way it was beautiful to see the different landscapes and weather.

“Music is a inner language of happiness and sadness"

We are entering with a guide lava tunnel but I was afraid to go into it. Rest of group is going in and I have waited by the car. Later I went through a different entrance to get acquainted with Creole music. It was nice to see how Creole music is established in Reunion.

Music was very beautiful !! I did not knew that music can be so simple and beautiful. Especially a boy with Calebasse. It was amazing how he plays calebase so easily. It was very instructive how different music has become established around this island.

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On the second day of program ( Lava cave and music) , we met our course coordinator at hotel.

Mrs Rita .We went together to beautiful volcanic mountain area  at ( Saint-Rose)

We entered with our group and the guide to the volcanic cave and we walked through it and saw the wonderful mineral depositions in brilliant colored layers.

After nearly an hour and half we met in cave with group of beautiful musical musicians with their musical instruments. They taught their songs with their heritage instruments and it was beautiful day.