 Story by Sean Barlow 22 African heads of state joined President Abdoulaye Wade for the festivities—hailing from Mali, Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Gabon, the Gambia, Morocco and others. Manu Dibango, Papa Wemba and Bembeya Jazz led by Sekou “Diamond Fingers” Diabate were all flown in to perform one song each at the State Dinner. Representing Senegal were the magnificent Griot singer Kine Lam and the sublime Thione Seck. Conspicuously absent were Youssou N’Dour and any U.S. delegation more official than us. Friday, April 2--Awadi Performs Présidents D’Afrique for University Students Pan-Africanism and the legacy of African presidents’ were vividly on display from the moment we arrived in Dakar. I quickly found out that Senegal’s number one hip hop artist, Didier Awadi, was doing a concert launching his new project, Présidents D’Afrique. I rallied some adventurous delegates to drive out to Cheikh Anta Diop University and see the performance. I first met and interviewed Awadi in 1996 and knew immediately that he was a force to be reckoned with. But nothing I had seen before prepared me for the intensity of what went on this night. The band had just hit the outdoor stage before a rapturous crowd of some 5,000. Everyone seemed to be 19. The first song Awadi’s band performed was a tribute to Congo’s first president Patrice Lumumba. They played an understated version of Le Grand Kalle’s “Independence Cha Cha” that became the joyous soundtrack of Congo’s independence from Belgium in 1960. A huge video screen at the back of the stage showed clips of the ill-fated Patrice Lumumba. Then we heard more songs, each opened by clips of speeches by Kwame Kkrumah, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Thomas Sankara, Nelson Mandela, and others. And then! The voice of Candidate Obama rang out loud and clear: “We know the battle ahead will be long but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.” Cut to Dr. Martin Luther King: “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” Cut to Awadi rapping in French. During all this I looked around and saw these kids loudly chanting “I have a dream!” And “Yes we can!” I turned to Ben Jealous, President and CEO of the NAACP, and without words we shared delighted amazement at this moment of trans-national joy. Here were these French-speaking kids a continent and two generations away, connecting powerfully to America’s hero of the civil rights movement, and its first African American president. And coming full circle, our delegation was led by Jesse Jackson who as a young man was among Reverend King’s inner circle during the civil rights struggle. Last on stage before I called it quits at 2:30 a.m. was the beloved 85 year old sabar drum master Doudou Ndiaye Rose and his troop of some two dozen 20-something drummers. As they mounted the stage, the kids in the audience went absolutely nuts! The applause and screaming surpassed what most rock megastar could ever hope for. I’m not exaggerating. The sabar is a traditional drum you play with a thin wood stick, getting that sharp THWACK sound, and one hand for the lower bass sound. I had first met Doudou in Dakar in 1987 and I swear that he did not look any older this night. Doudou, a slight figure, darted about the stage conducting his players and then attacking his drum. Awadi held the microphone to his drum and beamed broadly. What a beautiful statement of inter-generational connections here in Senegal. This was a hip hop crowd and yet they obviously also had a deep love and feel for their ancient music. Saturday, April 3—Celebrating the Launch of the Statue of the African Renaissance The Colloquium And now, President Wade said, after five centuries of the human tragedy of slavery, it is time for Africans to rise up and seize their destiny. He said it was time to create an African Renaissance—for African states to come together and find ways to work together to foster and support the economic, cultural, social and political well-being of the entire continent. He said that at the heart of this vision are the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals for progress in ending poverty and hunger, and achieving universal education and gender equality, also drastically reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS, ensuring environmental sustainability, and creating a global partnership for development—all by 2015. Something that especially caught my attention was his vision to create the United States of Africa along the lines of the European Union by 2017, at which point the President of Senegal said he would be willing to step down and become the Governor of Senegal. Now that is flying the pan-Africanist flag in a dramatic way. And importantly, Wade proclaimed that Africa and the Diaspora are one, citing that after a long struggle, African Americans have accomplished much, culminating in the election of President Barack Hussein Obama. Launching the Statue of the African Renaissance The actual launch of the Statue of the African Renaissance took place late Saturday afternoon. As our bus climbed the hill at the base of the statue, past thousands of Senegalese waving signs and cheering, the immensity of this bronze statue became apparent. It stands taller than the Statue of Liberty. Rising out of a volcano is an athletic man baring his chest and holding a child on his bulging bicep. The child points west out to sea. Behind the man is a buxom woman with her dress blown back to her upper thigh. I think they positioned the figures this way so that the outline of the trio appears dramatically against the skyline when you are looking from up the coast or down the coast from Dakar. The statue was built by a team of North Koreans in what strikes many observers as a socialist realist style. Once at the statue site, our group settled in a VIP section looking at the podium and a huge jumbo-tron of the live broadcast by Radio and Television Senegal (RTS).Behind that, the statue’s figures swept dramatically up to the sky, dominating the scene. To one side of us were seated the top brass of the Senegalese military and on the other the diplomatic corps.The steep steps from the plaza where we were seated up to the landing of the statue were totally filled with thousands of cheering people—one horizontal strip blue, the other yellow. As far as I could tell, our American team was the largest international delegation. Waiting for the presidents to arrive, there was plenty of down time. For those inclined there were stacks of Wade’s signature 1989 book, Un Destin Pour l'Afrique, as well as a glossy booklet detailing all the progress—sector by sector, project by project—that had been accomplished since 2000, the year he was elected. And there was a nice souvenir copy of the text of President Wade’s upcoming inauguration speech before he delivered it. I have never seen a more documented event. Right before the start of the ceremony, who should walk by but Manu Dibango dressed informally, here to perform at the state banquet that night. An official looking bus arrived and labored noisily up the steep hill from the plaza to the landing right under the statue. The jumbo-tron blew up the images of African presidents getting off the bus—President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, President Amadou Toumani Touré (A.T.T.) of Mali and others I did not recognize. President Wade led a tour of an exhibition on the ground floor. Then all the presidents walked to the edge of the staircase landing and waved to the tens of thousands in all directions. It was a powerful moment. It was a heady swirl of emotions. Everyone in our delegation seemed genuinely moved. I spoke with some of the delegates afterwards about their thoughts and feelings about the celebration of Senegal’s 50th anniversary and the launching of the Statue of the African Renaissance. I also asked them what their vision was for Senegal and Africa in the next 50 years: Second there was a sense of reconciliation with Africans in the Diaspora. A renewed sense of who Africans are in Brazil, and Latin America, and North America. The fact is, it was our efforts, running parallel with theirs, to help in the decolonizing movements. In the very particular sense in southern Africa, most specifically South Africa, we used our leverage to get our country to declare sanctions on South Africa. So there’s a growing sense that we are of mutual value to each other, and that they of course have a great celebration, heads of state were here, eight from around Africa. I wish our own government had been here but the statue erected here in Senegal will be a lasting monument. And in one sense, we [African Americans] have returned, 400 years later, but we have returned, and returned with power that we didn’t have when we left. We returned with more education, more business, more acumen, more Congressmen, more people in the United States government. We have returned. S.B.: So you agree with the formulation that President Wade was talking about, a United States of Africa by 2017? AKON (Who introduces himself as an entertainer, philanthropist and businessman): I have a lot of feelings of joy, man, you know, coming up here today it just showed me how far we’ve come as African people, as people of color, you know, as a people in general. And I think this is one of those situations that allows people to really come together and understand what the future needs to be. I’m lovin’ the way how the heads of state here in Africa all came together for the same purpose. Because back about 15 or 20 years ago this would have never happened. So this shows just how far we as a people have come for one common goal. Ambassador Fatou Danielle Diagne (Senegal’s recently appointed ambassador to the U.S.): I feel lots of emotion, emotion to be part of this ceremony, emotion to be actor at this ceremony, emotion as ambassador, because I see people from America coming to share this moment, this great and memorable moment. I was so young when I heard about independence, I said to myself, we have a lot of work to replace this, to make things function, to have a state, to have institutions, to have things working for the well-being of the population. And today I’m standing here and I’m very proud to be Senegalese. To be African. And to be a woman. S.B.: 50 years from now, what would you like to see for Senegal and Africa? The State Dinner that night was a festive occasion hosted by President Wade at the Meridian Hotel. Like many events in Africa, it started late and went late. Our delegates luckily sat at a table near the runway where chic fashion shows by Senegalese designers alternated with live music. The tall, gorgeous Senegalese models made me wonder if modeling agencies in New York, Paris and Milan were au courant with the talent here. We also wondered why the food service was so slow but, a-ha, we could not be served until the presidents arrived and they were served first. Protocol. The presidents arrived. I got a chance to shake the hand of one of my heroes, President Amadou Toumani Toure (A.T.T.) of Mali. I passed on greetings from his friend, Georges Collinet and gave him a copy of our recent Hip Deep program, “Mali: A History in Music.” He smiled broadly and graciously accepted it. President Wade again came last, beaming. He had changed out of his suit and put on a powder traditional blue robe with a white scarf. There was an extraordinary parade of Afropop stars performing that night. Senegal’s Kine Lam sang loudly, gesturing dramatically in grand Griot style. Manu Dibango and his band, fresh off the plane from Paris, played a jaunty version of his megahit, “Soul Makossa.” Then Papa Wemba from Congo performed one of his hits backed by a mix of Manu’s band and several Senegalese musicians. One of my favorite Senegalese artists, Thione Seck, sang in a Griot styled group, not in his usual mbalax dance band style. But that beautiful voice was the same. Next came Sekou Diabate leading the 16 piece band from Conakry featuring three singers, a classy five piece horn section and others. Sekou played off to the side at first but when he came center stage for his guitar solo he blew everyone away with his technical virtuosity and warm sound. Bembeya Jazz had composed a special praise song for Senegal and for President Wade. It was great to see Sekou backstage after their performance. I had first met him at his home in Conakry in 1987 and asked the band that was on break to do one show at Club Bembeya so I could record it for Afropop. They graciously agreed. And what a multi-guitar wonderful evening it was! To this day, it’s one of my all time favorite live recordings we ever made. It was on April 4, 1960 that Senegal gained its independence from France. And Sunday morning, April 4, 2010 was bright and clear—a perfect day for a parade. Our group was bused to the parade route, again past the throngs of men, women and children lining the street where we were whisked into a V.I.P. area. An elegant man from the Senegalese diplomatic corps stationed in Washington told me that the stars in Independence Day parades in Senegal, like for many countries around the world, are the military—marching bands and crisply dressed soldiers in perfectly spaced formations looking very serious with their Kalashnikovs or rifles outfitted with gleaming bayonets. I love brass bands so I was in brass band heaven—the conductor, the snare drums, the big bass drums, the clarinets, the trumpets, the saxes and in back of it all, pumping away, the tubas. The marching band music comes out of the colonial era and it can sound a bit stiff. I’m told that when the band is not doing official functions, they can swing. And what a legacy to have hundreds of musicians who can play wind instruments and read music let alone hundreds of brass instruments in good working order. There are a lot of countries in Africa or anywhere for that matter that would be happy to boast that. The brass sound was interspersed with a few sabar percussion groups. The most prominent one was led by Doudou Ndiaye Rose looking resplendent in a bright yellow robe. My camera battery died but fortunately our delegation photographer, Damaso Reyes, was there to tell you the story of the parade in pictures. Every side of Senegal’s security establishment was musically represented—the police, the army, the red-hatted gendarmes (Presidential guard), sailors. The Air Force flew a half dozen planes low overhead, painting the colors of the Senegalese flag—red, green and yellow. Then tanks. Then fire department trucks. Then wave after wave of student contingents dressed in gold, blue, green, orange and pink uniforms from various cities around Senegal marching in perfect formation with the exact same measured swing of their arms. I slipped out of the security perimeter to find something to drink (I could have made a handsome profit selling Coke in the VIP section) and wound up hanging at the corner with the common folk, enjoying soaking up the scene as people strolled by in family groups or posses of talkative teenagers. In my 25 years of music research in Africa, starting in 1985, I’m not used to being part of a group (except the ones I organize). Instead I’m used to following my ears, my instincts and on the ground tips. So at times it was hard for me to stay with the program on this trip, but I was part of a delegation. And it was a dense, well organized program traveling with very stimulating fellow delegates so I respected the group parameters. And I still was able to slip out afterhours like that first night at the university for the Awadi concert. Reflection on 50 Years, the Controversy over Statue and Inspiration Getting back to the Statue of the African Renaissance and the free press in Senegal, the statue has stirred a lot of loud controversy from the very start of the project in 2002. When you research the story, almost every article has the words “controversy” or “controversial” in the headline. The articles typically cite four reasons for people’s opposition. The common criticisms are that 1) its 27-million-dollar cost could have been better spent on social services for many people still living in poverty in a country suffering a “crise economique” (economic crisis) with high inflation and 25% unemployment. 2) the scantily clad woman in the statue violates the conservative sensibility in this 95% Muslim country (One prominent imam in Senegal went so far as to declare a fatwa against the statue, saying all statues are “idolatrous.”) 3) aesthetically, it is seen as unattractive by many and not African looking enough. 4) President Wade says the statue is in part his intellectual property and therefore that 35% of the entrance fees to the statue will go to his foundation. You can tell from the interviews with delegate members above, the ideal of African Renaissance will be the lasting memory of this extraordinary moment as well as a motivation to renew our work on behalf of Africa. Interview transcriptions by Gabriel Holl. First published: Afropop Worldwide |
Celebrating Senegal's 50th Anniversary: Mbalax Fever--The Story of Popular Music in Senegal
Aired April 15, 2010
Afropop Worldwide travels to Dakar to celebrate the country's 50th anniversary of independence with a Hip Deep history of the nation's signature music style: mbalax. On radio, on television, from boom boxes on the street to the city's legendary nightclubs, this rhythmically explosive dance music is the defining sound of modern Senegal. MIT ethnomusicologist Patricia Tang takes us through the history, from the polyrhythms of Wolof hand-and-stick sabar drumming, through the pan-Africanist passions of Lčopold Senghor, Senegal's first president, to African salsa and the rise of Youssou N'Dour, right up to the present when mbalax still holds its own in the hip hop era. We'll hear how griot musicians Youssou N'Dour and Thione Seck spurred the evolution from salsa to mbalax, and how the new music helped unify the country after decades of French colonial rule. Baaba Maal, Yoro N'diaye, and Orchestra Baobab's Ben Geloune discuss the music's themes, including Islam, polygamy, and poverty. And of course, we hear lots of electrifying mbalax music!
Hip Deep
Interview
Discography
