WENDADA

In Rodrigues, the accordion breathes like a living memory. Between its bellows, Wendada — born Wendy Speville Hortense — makes far more than an instrument vibrate: he gives voice to an island.
A diatonic accordionist, percussionist (ravanne, Rodriguan drum), and self-taught singer nurtured by séga tambour and ségakordéon, he grew up in village celebrations, hotels, and evening gatherings where music does not pretend. From these roots, he drew a simple and direct strength: to play authentically, to pass on, to make people dance.
But Wendada does more than preserve. He explores. His music moves confidently between tradition and contemporary creation, keeping the Rodriguan soul intact while opening it to new horizons. His album Akord Li reflects this approach: a sensitive fusion in which the accordion converses with more modern textures, never losing the pulse of the drum.
Based between Rodrigues, Mauritius, and Réunion Island, he performs solo or in a trio, carrying a music that is visceral, grounded, and immediately recognizable. On stage, he does not simply play a repertoire — he summons a territory.
Committed to transmission, he founded in 2024 the diatonic accordion school Kour’deon in Rodrigues and launched workshops on traditional drum making, ensuring that these skills do not disappear with those who still hold them.
Winner of the Tann Grofi Artist Awards (Grand Prize and Best Accordionist), Wendada now stands as one of the essential voices of contemporary Rodriguan creation: a cultural bridge-builder, a craftsman of sound, an artist who makes his island resonate far beyond its shores.