Musiques d'Afrique

Zangalewa (this Time for Africa)

2010-06-18T20:27:00.005+02:00

As Shakira was asked to compose a song for the 2010 football championship in South Africa, she acknowledged that he had been inspired by a song she heard as a little girl. When listening to « Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) », it becomes clear very soon that a part of the song stems from Cameroon's Golden Sounds' « Zangalewa », a song from 1986, that has become known throughout Africa. It was successful to the extent that the band even changed its name into Zangalewa.

The original song, also referred to as « Zamina » can be watched hereunder. The band, composed of members of the presidential gard had prominent members such as Jean Paul Zé Bella, Guy Dooh, Emile Kojidie, Luc Eyebe, and young singer Annie Anzouer who went solo later. Others, for example Benjamin Denga and Mathurin Oyono have died.

It was Emile Kojidie, who lives in the United States who contacted a lawyer, most other members are retired in their village in Cameroon. Apparently, some sort of an arrangement has been settled, although others speak of jealousy between members of the band. Rumour is that a new album for Zangalewa is being considered. Apparently, no money has been paid yet, but I was happy to hear the original song on Dutch television during a sports programme. This is surprising as the song is not available on the market (except on old cassettes in Cameroon)...

R.I.P. Ramata Diakité

2009-12-16T21:04:00.013+01:00

Only a few days ago I discovered that Malian singer Ramata Diakité (35) has died in the night of 30 October. Much too young to die, she just got married in September to a Burkinabe businessman, it was her third marriage. She has been burried in Burkina Faso.

Ramata was one of the more successful female singers from the Wassoulou region, just second to Oumou Sangaré. She sold in excess of 100,000 legal cassettes in her home country. Her biggest hit album was « Na », an album that was released worldwide in 1999.

She succeeded in combining the Wassoulou music with modern influences and the album still stands as a classic of Malian music, especially for this mix of the old and the new. Another hightlight was her contribution to the album « Kulanjan ». by Toumani Diabaté & Taj Mahal.

Here's one of her more recent songs, « Sigui » :

Madilu 1950-2007

2009-12-15T21:17:00.005+01:00

It has already been more than two years since he is gone: Le Grand Ninja, Madilu System. He started singing in 1969, rose to fame as one of the main singers of Franco's TPOK Jazz, where he contributed to the success of songs such as « Non », « Mario », « Réponse de Mario » (1985), « La Vie des hommes » (1986) and « Mamou (Tu Vois?) » (1984).

In the last two decades his solo albums encountered reasonable success.

In the following song, split in two videos, « Destin » (a later version called « Biya » was released on his « Sans commentaire » solo album), he sung about his love for his companion, that should never end. Especially in the second part they really rock. Singers are, besides Madilu, Josky Kiambukuta, Diatho Lukoki and the late Djo Mpoyi. The genius on guitar was Jerry (or Gerry) Dialungana, who is neither no longer with us.

The later version by Madilu can be watched here:

More info on Madilu on Musiques d'Afrique

Elie Kamano feat. Les Espoirs de Coronthie: Dounya

2008-08-04T21:11:00.009+02:00

Today I want to show you a clip of a great song from Guinea. It is a song by Elie Kamano, a rapper/ hip hop and reggae star from this West African country, featuring a prominent band of a musical genre which has become very popular in the last years, a genre that could be called « musique tradi-moderne ». The song is called Dounya and is about the fact that life is not smiling to everyone. For me, it is a song I can listen to several time after each other, with this intriguing rhythm led by the gongoma thumb piano, and with these great vocals. Just give it a few listens:

direct URL http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=0s0xZhqskrg&feature=related

On the above picture you see Elie Kamano (or Eli) in the center next to two singers from Les Espoirs de Coronthie.

I will tell you more about both Kamano and Les Espoirs soon.

Bako Dagnon

2008-04-11T22:28:00.009+02:00

A great « cantatrice » from Mali released a first international CD album after 30 years of career. This gorgeous album « Titati » I can very much recommend.

Along with great female singers such as Mokontafe Sacko, Sarafing Kouyaté, Wandé Kouyaté and Nantenedié Kamissoko, she helped developing and promoting traditional Malian music within the Ensemble Instrumental du Mali for 10 years (from 1974).

When Ibrahima Sylla of Syllart Productions asked her to join in the recording of the second volume of the « Mandekalou » project, the road was finally open to recording an album of her own. « Titati » was mainly recorded in the Bogolan Studio in Bamako, and arranged in Paris by François Bréant (Salif Keita's « Soro », Bambino's « Sinikan »).

The Musiques d'Afrique web site now features a page about Bako here.

Here is a promotional video on Youtube:

R.I.P. Hamid Chanana

2008-02-17T13:22:00.006+01:00

Dangerous traffic conditions in Africa or more specifically in Guinea was never meant to be a Leitmotiv of this blog although it currently looks like it is...
Already on December 23, 2007, Guinean hip hop artist Hamid Chanana (his real name being Hamidou Camara) crossed the road in his Kipé neighborhood of Conakry during the night, when he was hit by a taxi. He was brought to hospital in a coma, he woke up but died shortly after due to several injuries. Hamid, born in Kènèma in Sierra Leone on March 8, 1973, has lived for years in Sierra Leone and Liberia but returned to Guinea in 1986.

He released three cassette over the years, « Sewa » (1997), « Mano River Union » (2001) and « S.O.S. Amour » in 2004.

Joe Dioubaté, part 2

2007-11-25T13:09:00.000+01:00

Things moved fast for Joe Dioubaté, and maybe a bit too fast.

On November 11, there was the 6th edition of the Guinean Hip Hop Golden Cassette Award (The Guinean phonographic market is still dominated by the good old cassette). The Golden Cassette was granted to a group named Sèmbèdèkè for their album Tétra. But Joe Dioubaté received two prices, one for Best Singer and one for Best Solo Album. With a few friends he celebrated this good news in a local boîte de nuit. When they returned late that night, a car collided with theirs, and drove off after the accident! Joe was wounded and brought in hospital, but was released a few days later, and returned to hospital the next weekend for internal bleedings. He fought for his life, but seems to be recovering now.

Yet an example that good news and bad news can follow each other very quickly. Also an example of the dangerous traffic conditions in Africa.

Joe Dioubaté or how a talented guy can be invisible on the internet

2007-10-28T19:37:00.001+01:00

A few months ago, I have been contacted to see whether I could help a young guy making rap and hip hop and who just released his debut album in Guinea. Not that hip hop is my favourite music, but anyway, I accepted. I listened to the promo CD and after a few spinnings I gradually became convinced of his talents. I was told the guy was called Djo Dioubaté (I later discovered alternative ways of spelling his name, from Djoe to Joe) and started a Google session in order to find some more info on the guy. Google didn't come up with anything at all. I thought that this wasn't possible anymore, in 2007 one would expect a rapper or hip hop artist to be present on Youtube and MySpace at least, even if the artist isn't under contract.

I have learnt to be patient, and tried to find more info a few weeks later. Still not much, but found his name as featuring on songs by Guinean rappers Elie Kamano (who suffered a severe car accident earlier this year, from which he is still recovering), and Anny Kassy, who made a song against female genital mutilation.

So why this long introduction? Well, the guy is talented, he has a great voice and the songs on the album are great. Songs like Conakry (''Conakry, c'est ma capitale, où je vis et je suis sans un capital'') speak of the hopeless situation young Guineans are facing. Other songs address hope for change, give advise to young people to be serious and work for their future. Another song pays hommage to Siradiou Diallo, a well-known journalist (formerly editor with Jeune Afrique) who became politician in the 1990s and died in March 2004 in Paris.
He doesn't miss out the opportunity to express himself on the bloody reaction of the Guinean Government to the public protests in January and February of this year.

- Joe Dioubaté: « Révolution » (cassette), 2007 -

The Musiques d'Afrique web site now features a page about him here.

Here is a YouTube video clip by Elie Kamano (song « Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom »), Joe Dioubaté is the one with locks, sunglasses and guitar, he sings a few lines from 1:28 on.

In this clip from Anny Kassy (song « Femme ne pleure pas »), Joe sings several parts.

Habib Koité, Afriki Tour 2007

2007-09-30T14:47:00.001+02:00

After a few years Habib Koité returned to the RASA venue in Utrecht, the Netherlands, where he had performed in 1998, 2001 and 2003.

After Aly Keita's first part (see previous blog entry), Habib came on stage, followed by Bamada musicians and started to play, rather timidly I must say. It was as if they were afraid to make a mistake. In between the songs, though, Habib added short notes about the songs and he was, even though he spoke in English only, rather ''at ease'', so to speak. He was in Holland, and in some way it showed (sic!). Anyway, the show improved and in the two or three songs he brought on stage during the ''encore'', they were unleashed and they played in the way I had seen them at previous occasions. It is a joy to see them, the music can be intimate at times, danceable at other times, there are no bad songs, and Habib is a very nice bloke and funny at times.

I can only recommend to see him at one the planned concerts this autumn. The agenda:

09-26-2007 Antwerpen, Belgium De Roma
09-27-2007 Arlon, Belgium Maison de la Culture
09-28-2007 Brussels, Belgium Flagey
09-29-2007 Utrecht, The Netherlands Rasa
09-30-2007 Amsterdam, Netherlands Melkweg
10-05-2007 Bern Muehle Hunziken
10-06-2007 Dornbirn (A), Spielboden
10-07-2007 Paris, France l'Européen
10-08-2007 Paris, France l'Européen
10-10-2007 Zurich, Moods
10-11-2007 Lucern (CH) Boa-Halle
10-12-2007 Basel (CH), Volkhaus
10-13-2007 Innsbruck, Austria Treibhaus
10-14-2007 Wein, Austria Wuk
10-19-2007 San Giovanni Valdarno (Firenze), Cinema Teatro Bucci
10-20-2007 Milano, Italy, Teatro del Verde
10-31-2007 Gotheborg, Sweden, TBA
11-01-2007 Malmö, Sweden, TBA
11-02-2007 Stockholm, Sweden, Festival Selam
11-05-2007 Groningen, Netherlands, De Oosterpoort
11-09-2007 Deventer, Netherlands, Burgerweeshuis
11-13-2007 Thionville, France, Théatre
11-14-2007 Veldhoven, Netherlands, De Schalm
11-15-2007 Liege, Belgium, Cinéma Le Parc
11-16-2007 Nismes, Belgium, Centre culturel Action Sud

(Please check on http://www.habibkoite.com/index2.php?page=concerts or http://www.cumbancha.com/welcome.php?_pg=albums/afriki for confirmed dates)

Aly Keita, a young balafola

2007-09-30T13:02:00.000+02:00

After some difficulties entering Habib Koité's sold out concert last night in RASA (Utrecht), I was happy to be inside. At 9:15PM, a balafon player entered the stage and started to play a stunning piece. I didn't know the guy and I wondered whether Habib changed of balafon player. He played a second song, and then another one. Starting with a simple two notes, he builds up a song until a moment when you are wondering whether there is not a second balafon playing behind the curtain. This man is fabulous, what a speed and what a power! And his balafon sounded terrific as the gourds attached to the wooden keys were well resonating. This is balafon music as it should be. So it turned out to be a 30-minute mini-concert as a first part of Habib's concert. At the end of the concert, I found out that Contre-Jour, Habib's promotors, released Aly Keita's CD «Akwaba Iniséné» (Contre-Jour CJ016) only last week.

On the album he is backed up by a band, so the whole feel of the album is much different from the solo performance, although the balafon remains important. But the first notes of the first track show a bit how the performances sounded like. Guests on the album are Dobet Gnahoré, Kélétigui Diabaté and many others from the Contre-Jour stable (members from Gangbé Brass Band from Benin). A recommended album though, I spinned it twice this morning and I am still discovering.

Aly is a young guy from Cote d'Ivoire, based in Berlin, Germany.

More info on Aly on his MySpace page.