Christine Salem

Christine Salem sings dangerous tunes that rouse the spirits and challenge the authorities – which means that her shows are as controversial as they are spellbinding. The rousing deep-voiced singer from Réunion Island – the multi-ethnic French province in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar – performs maloya, a blues-likemusic rooted in the work songs and chants of the island’s African slaves. Rising up from a troubled childhood on the streets of Saint-Denis, Salem has become the greatest living champion of maloya,  infusing the trance-inducing blend of voices and percussionwith fresh  inspiration and contemporary influences. Salem came to the Sanctuary to perform some of her mesmorizing tunes for the public in October of 2013.