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[ CINE – ART ] – “The revolutionary Senegal” a documentary by Maky Madiba Sylla and Florian Bobin

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Like Sembène Ousmane, telling the story of Africa so that it does not disappear is the wish of Senegalese director Maky Madiba Sylla and French historian Florian Bobin of Senegalese adoption, in their documentary “Le Sénégal révolutionnaire”. Through their next documentary film “Le Sénégal révolutionnaire”, the two acolytes will not only revisit Senegalese history, but will also examine the political history of the country between the 60s, 70s and 80s by focusing on the major actors of this period. Their objective, through their production house “Linkering Production”, is to portray edifying events by revealing the underground, clandestine and suffocated history, different from the official history known and taught. Political figures like Amath Dansokho, Ala Kane or Diallo Diop who were part of the so-called incendiary group and then the founding members of the RND, the National Democratic Rally of Sheikh Anta Diop, others like Eugénie Rokhaya Aw N’Diaye who were part of the group of AND JEFF will be as many actors and actresses in their singular diversity and over several generations whose revolutionary history will be told in this unpublished documentary film. The other objective of this revision of this memory history is to allow the young generation to access this Senegalese political and social heritage. Ze-Africanews went to meet the two directors for an exclusive interview. 

Ze-Africanews: Hello, can you introduce yourself?
Florian Bobin:
So my name is Florian Bobin. I am a researcher in African History and I have been leading the liberation struggles and state violence in Senegal for several years now at the turn of independence and then in the post-independence periods, from 1960 to the 1970s.
Maky Madiba Sylla: I am Maky Madiba sylla, director of the documentary film ‘Revolutionary Senegal’. As Florian said so well, so it’s about left movements and struggles for independence.

Ze-Africanews: How did you come to be interested in the Senegalese revolution?
Florian Bobin:
I have already spent a good part of my childhood and adolescence in Senegal. And wherever we were, I could see the prominence of history and it was by studying stories that I really realized that there was a part of the history of Senegal and more broadly of Africa that was quite unknown, it was the slope, that is to say that apart from the official history, there is a little the underground history, the underground history, a little bit of the suffocated history. And so I became more and more interested in particular through a figure Omar Blondin Diop, it was a bit my gateway on this period.

Ze-Africanews: How did your meeting with Florian go? 
Maky Madiba Sylla:
So Flo, Flo, we were friends on facebook. I think it’s following a comment I made about Amath Dansokho where I said that the fact that he disappeared without having a film about him was still a muse. And I would like to correct this shot and then I had noted that I wanted to make a film on this very period about Monsieur Dansokho, and on this period that is rather little known, rather little known, about Senghor, about troture during this period and it is subsequently that Flo contacted me, I read his articles and then we exchanged a lot on the subject and it was afterwards that we wanted to deepen things. 

Ze-Africanews: You set up your production company? Why?  
Florian Bobin: the idea behind the production house that Maky launched in 2017, if I’m not mistaken, was precisely in an effort to transmit the intangible heritage of the African continent, and really that the history of the continent is known by a much wider audience and that it is put on the screen because we know that today screens are very important. And as important as it is to write obviously but as important as it is to see the actors and actresses of this time and to see through a screen the story in movement.  

Ze-Africanews: You are going to realize “Le Sénégal révolutionnaire” which are the main actors that will intervene in this project? 
Florian Bobin:
This project covers about a quarter of a century of history from the mid-1950s to the very early 1980s. In short, the restructuring of the French colonial empire and then the independence and all the years of the presidency of Léopold Sédar Senghor. And so the main actors and actresses will be those who lived this period in the struggle, that is to say those and those who lived underground. So we think of people like Ala Kane who was part of the African Independence Party, people like Diallo Diop who were part of the so-called arsonists and then the founding members of the RND, the National Democratic Gathering of Sheikh Anta Diop. We also really think of actresses like Eugénie Aw who was part of the AND JEFF group that went to prison and was tortured in prison. And so, it is actors and actresses in their diversity over several generations but who played a very important role in Senegal that we know today that despite the contemporary democratic excesses, the democratic achievements from 1980, If we are talking about the integral multiparty system under Abdou Diouf, it is because there were struggles.

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Ze-Africanews: You want to engrave the history of Senegal, let’s say, how did you come up with the idea of making documentary films related to the history of Senegal? 
Maky Madiba Sylla:
Because I was actually frustrated. I was very frustrated. Because when I watch our TV programs, there’s a lot of dancing, there’s a lot of singing, but there’s very little thinking around themes that for me are fundamental. To know one’s history is to know oneself. Because it is important for the challenges of the future that Africans can understand their history or their stories in the plural. When we talk about a figure like Omar Blondin Diop, when we talk about other figures such as President Wade or Senghor or all those people who had to play a key role in the political and historical development of Senegal as well, it is important to engrave them in the film so that the young generations can know their history. This is a feeling of frustration that has been with me for a few years now, because when I look at “Arte”, I see that the whole history of France, of the Europe of the world itself ofwhich prevents us Africans from telling our own story whether in the political field, whether in the cultural field or elsewhere. It is important that the Senegalese who was born in 2000 can have a film that shows him what happened in 60. Why were the events of 1963? What led to the breakup of the Federation of Mali? So on and so on! And many other historical acts that we paint the picture of but we avoid going to the bottom. For me, when a country like Senegal, a personality, a character like Cheikh Anta Diop, if you stay forty years to have a film about Cheikh Anta Diop, it says a lot about what we are, so it’s trying to fill that gap and then be in transmission. I want to transmit through the image. The book is good, but we realize that this youth reads very little on the other hand they are very screen, they are very tablet, they are very portable, they are very TV so let’s try to bring them what they need.

Ze-Africanews: What are the difficulties in making this project “Revolutionary Senegal” a reality? 
Florian Bobin:
There are several difficulties. Obviously one of the main difficulties is the financial difficulty. It is not easy to have donors and even if there is one, it is not always easy to access them. Often, unfortunately, the most accessible donors, although we obviously have to put in place fairly substantial files, are international donors. So it’s the financial aspect because as much as this story is Senegalese but it’s an international story and so to tell this story you also have to come to France, you have to go ideally to Cuba, even in the sub-region in Senegal, There is Mali, Guinea Conakry, etc. There is the big issue of archives because if we want to highlight the history of the African continent through the 1960s and 1970s, at the time the national televisions did not exist and even though they had been founded did not yet have a sector and an archive section which means that the vast majority if not almost all of these archives are in European funds of which a fund public which is called the National Audiovisual Institute which asks African artists and filmmakers, African pay out to recover and screen images of their own history. To have an idea, for about a minute of archive in a documentary, it takes about 1000 euros. That is to say, for a documentary lasting between 52 and 90 minutes, if we want to put in 30 minutes of archives, we have to pay 30,000 euros, which has that money, that’s it. That’s a challenge, and it’s primarily financial. Then there are memory issues. There are issues of remobilization, shaking that memory there, it’s not an easy thing because it’s an underground, clandestine story, so it can also harm certain interests. But I think one of the main issues is really the financial issue.

Ze-Africanews: A specific message to Senegalese youth in particular in relation to what you do and then to African youth? 
Maky Madiba Sylla:
I will summarize your question using the famous expression of the father of African cinema who is Sembène Ousmane. Semben Ousmane tells us: “If you don’t tell us about Africa, it will disappear.”

Ze-Africanews: You who married Africa in your heart, Senegal in particular, What message do you send to the Senegalese African youth in particular through this memorial work that you are carrying out with your fellow Senegalese friend as well?
Florian Bobin:
I think I realize what’s at stake here. It is often when works are made that we become aware of the importance of history, but it is on a daily basis. Just a year ago, there was the assasinat of Georges Floyd, in the United States, there were all the mobilizations against police violence both in the United States and here in France. And one realizes the pregnancy of history, also of the Afro-memorial which can be someone who walks in the street and who in that street and in the subway, sees names like Faidherbe, Bugot as Gallieni. And that here in France as elsewhere in Senegal, there are Jules Ferry streets, it was nevertheless the one who set up the compulsory and free secular school here in France but it is the one who defended in the National Assembly the supposed inferiority of the African races, of the black races in any case the hierarchy between the white and black races. And so it is to realize the importance of history and how this history continues to have an impact today and obviously to master one’s destiny, one must master one’s history and one’s past.

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CINEMA

BURKINA FASO – Culture and tourism: The 4th edition of Tunnel honors the builders of the shadow

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Koudougou, May 31, 2025 (AIB) – The 4th edition of Tunnel, a ceremony for distinguishing cultural and tourist actors in the Central-West region, was held in Koudougou on Saturday, noted the AIB on site.

This annual event, initiated by Adama Badiel, aims to create, according to him, a platform of visibility and support for artists and tourism professionals to allow them to establish themselves on national and international scenes.

The promoter Adama Badiel stressed the importance of this edition, placed under the sign of collaboration, recognition and collective construction. He recalled the fundamental objective of the Tunnel: “to highlight the cultural and tourist talents of the Center-West, these women and men who, often without spotlight or support, nourish our region with their passion, creativity, and determination.”

This year, the event paid a special tribute to its partners, whose support is deemed indispensable. Among the officials present were Jean Noël Bonkoungou, representing the minister of culture, patron of the ceremony, El Hadj Inoussa Bagué, president of the Patronat du Centre-Ouest, Franck Alain Kaboré, CEO of Cinéma Neerwaya, and Ali Bonkoungou, CEO of Salsabil Bâtiment, testifying to the commitment of the private and public sectors.

Despite a slight reduction to five categories in competition this year, due to a limited number of album releases and works meeting the criteria, Adama Badiel ensured that the “Golden Tunnel” category will evolve from next year to expand opportunities while maintaining the quality requirement.

The promoter also launched a call for goodwill because, “we need you to build a true ecosystem where art, heritage, tourism and youth can express themselves, thrive and inspire.” This heartfelt plea highlights the major challenge of the lack of resources to fully support the laureates and optimize their visibility.

Several emblematic figures of Burkinabe cinema, such as Eugène Bayala (Oyou), Sawadogo Alidou (head of the Village of Kikideni), and Rasmané Ouédraogo (Razo), have already been honored in previous editions.

This year, the winners on the artistic side include Mr. Baraka, Tasha, Yololo Junior, and KSB 80.

In the cultural and tourist field, personalities like El Hadj Inoussa Bagué, Franck Alain Kaboré, Rasmané Ouédraogo, Boubacar Berewoudougou (Hôtel Pousga), Catherine Zoma (ISMK), and Salfo Dermé were distinguished, in addition to tributes paid to ancient glories of Burkinabe music such as Pasteur Moussa Josué.

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Adama Badiel concluded by stating that “the Tunnel is not a one-time event. It is a movement, an ambition, a bridge between what we are and what we can become. A strong message for the future of culture and tourism in the Center-West.

The boss’s representative, Jean Noël Bonkoungou, reassured the promoter of Tunnel of the support of the ministry.
Source: Information Agency of Burkina

Photo credit: Information Agency of Burkina

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CINEMA

SENEGAL – ‘‘AFRO Fusion’’, the rebirth of Astou Seck

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We found you a nugget of music; a sunny lady, always cheerful, who embodies African music outside the continent. Three years after ‘‘Sama Soppé’, she is reborn with an EP of three tracks as if it were not the number that counts. This is the sulphurous Astou Seck who has just released an EP entitled: ‘‘AFRO Fusion’’ available on the platforms.

Born artist
Born in Dakar, Astou Seck began her career not as a songwriter but as a dancer and model. She looks like an actress from the film Wakanda. In 2008, she left Senegal and moved to Italy. She makes her little man way there. One night in Milan, at the end of a fashion show – she is still a model – she feels the call of music. She will play ‘‘Life in Pink’ by the Jamaican Grace Jones. This performance, spontaneous, delights the audience who is especially sublimated by this voice with a rare sensitivity. Grace Jones notes it. They meet. Astou Seck’s musical destiny is sealed. She now roams the scenes of the world. In 2014, Astou Seck released his first album, fusing R&B, world music, Afrobeat and house. This musical style blend imbued with the rhythms of the Senegalese tradition gives a musical cocktail bluffing. In 2018, she unveils ‘‘Sama Soppé’, an intimate musical statement, followed in 2021 by ‘‘Ndiakhass’, a work that marks her rise and artistic maturity. The single ‘Dance with Me’ completes this period, symbolizing his ease in forging links between musical genres.

“AFRO Fusion”, open door to another dimension
This EP was highly anticipated. It’s here. With an immense background that gives a certain tinge to his songs, Astou Seck is never without imagination and the main message that runs in the phrasing of texts like ‘‘Memories’’ and ‘‘My Story’’, is so edifying that it «takes us as a sea» – Baudelairian expression. Both titles are very successful on streaming platforms, and we’re expecting ‘Fenn’’ to be released in November. Astou Seck is an artist who, in addition to mastering various musical styles, incorporates in her texts, often in English, a very African rhythmic. In just a few years of career, Astou Seck, with her voice that reminds us of this blues gospel coming from the United States of America, she has managed to impose a new rhythmic and rhythmic genre in which the artist still dominates his art. Her voice! And what voice… Soul? Jazz? Blues? We get lost trying to fix it in a box so his talent is immense. With this voice a little hoarse, gaillarde and a little cuivrée is chopped of syncopes. At the first notes, we are a little out of place, but when the words gush out of our throat, the rhythms lead us towards an African-American music whose melancholy accents always remind us of Africa.

A course in the do range
Astou Seck glides out of the frame. In addition to possessing a majestic voice, she knows how to dance and is a model. This versatility makes these scenic performances captivating moments of a rare intensity. It was this trajectory, nourished by pride and audacity, that led her to found the group LOUMSA, a symbol of a fusion between ancestral sounds and modern rhythms. Astou Seck’s music has no boundaries. So you’d have to listen to his latest EP to realize it. It is a mixture of melodies that unites hearts and transcends cultures, with ‘’instruments of shock’ (…) that freak out and produce all the twists and turns of the flesh’ – to speak like André Gide.

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CINEMA

SENEGAL – Daddy Maky: Once Upon a Time in Africa, a powerful voice that rocks

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Reggae has always been a music of struggle, a cry from the heart for justice and freedom. With Once Upon a Time in Africa, Daddy Maky & The Fighting Roots propose an EP deeply rooted in African history and realities. The mixture of languages gives this opus of five titles a unique and singular sonority.
A roots reggae from roots
In a very mixed register, Maky Makeba Sylla, alias Daddy Maky, true urban troubadour, is at the same time singer, filmmaker and activist. Born in Dakar, this artist of rare singularity, who distills poignant texts, is distinguished by his messages of revolt and hope. With a wealth of experience in the field of directing, notably with his documentaries on Laba Sosseh and Amath Dansokho, he combines music and political commitment to convey a strong and sincere word. With Once Upon a Time in Africa, Daddy Maky has teamed up with Fighting Roots to offer a dancehall reggae roots at the crossroads of Jamaican and African influences. This five-track EP – an explosive cocktail – is a true journey through the struggles and hopes of a continent too often relegated to the margins.

Daddy Maky

An EP that moves
Once Upon a Time in Africa draws heavily on African music. Through its traditional drums and its mix of languages (wolof, bambara, English and a touch of French), each title is adorned with a unique sonority. But it’s mainly through his soul grooves that Maky stands out. Never quiet, he always gets carried away. His powerful voice takes us deep into the roots of reggae. From the very first track, Time Fi Revolution (in English), the EP sets the tone. Driven by punchy rhythms and a determined voice, this song is a call to awakening African consciences. Then comes One and the same people (in dioula and in French), a hymn to African unity, recalling that despite the borders, Africa remains one and indivisible. With Ay Nan Ka Wûli (in Bambara and French), Daddy Maky delivers a powerful warning: “When Africa rises again, nothing will be the same.” A committed flame, sounding like a rallying cry. Then, Rudeboy inna Town (in English) immerses us in the world of reggae in its purest form, with an ode to Rasta culture and its rebellious values. Finally, Nitt Ku Ñul (in Wolof and English) offers a real history lesson on Africans while serving as an advocacy against injustice. Through these five songs, Daddy Maky does not just denounce: he proposes a vision based on the memory, commitment and solidarity of African peoples.

Daddy Maky, African Memory Singer
In addition to being an exceptional reggaeman, Daddy Maky is also a filmmaker with a passion for African history and culture. With El Maestro Laba Sosseh, he retraces the career of the pioneer of African salsa, highlighting the influence of this immense artist across the continent and beyond. His documentary Amath Dansokho looks back at the life of a tireless activist, committed to democracy in Senegal. His commitment is not limited to the screen. In 2022, during a concert in Mulhouse, he publicly called for the release of Ousmane Sonko, imprisoned under the presidency of Macky Sall. More than an artist, Daddy Maky is a fighter, a voice of social justice.

Once Upon a Time in Africa, in the bins on 14 February
With Once Upon a Time in Africa, Daddy Maky and The Fighting Roots deliver a true cry from the heart, a musical manifesto. Faithful to the roots of reggae, the artist conveys a message of awakening consciences and resilience, without forgetting to promote fundamental values such as love – especially that of others. Scheduled for release on February 14, this EP will be available on all platforms.

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