CULTURE
CÔTE D’IVOIRE: Usher Aliman “Zouglou must remain unconvinced”
Usher Aliman is a journalist from Eboinda in southeast Côte d’Ivoire. He holds a Master’s degree in Communication Science and Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Modern Letters. He has been working as a journalist since 2002. He began my career as a journalist at Top Visages magazine. He was in charge of the famous Top Gossip page. He later served as general editor of the magazine. He was Editor in chief of the TV magazine “Dimanche de foot” on RTI 1. He is radio columnist on Frequency 2. He is also author of works on African urban cultures, which he talks about in this interview.
Ze-Africanews.com: How was the idea to write about the offset coupe and the zougou?
Usher Aliman: The idea of writing a book on the history of the coupé-décalé is part of a simple journalistic inquiry: in 2003-2004, the creators of the coupé-décalé were recognized as the masters of “work” ( public distribution of banknotes). They spent a lot of money on each of their outings. The journalistic curiosity pushed me to investigate the origin of the money of the creators of the cut-off and especially why they wasted it as easily. Over the years, the revelations, the confessions, the discoveries were so numerous that they could not fit in a newspaper article or even in an entire newspaper. I then decided to go further in my investigation to make a book. ” Douk Saga or the forbidden story of the cut-off, a shattered fate ” was born after a ten-year investigation.
Tell us more about the book?
The book tells the story of the cut-off and filigree, the life course of Douk Saga. To speak of Douk Saga, I would say that it was a colorful person, very unpredictable but with a hand on his heart. As a child, Douk Saga has enjoyed luxury without being able to enjoy it. As an adult, he wanted to catch up with all of his childhood frustrations. For having rubbed shoulders with him, I can tell you that he was a man who loved luxury and had a very high esteem for himself. The other thing I remember is that he was very intelligent and knew exactly where he wanted to go and how to get there. Too bad he had this fate shooting star.
Why “smashed destiny”? What should we remember from Douk Saga?
Destiny shattered because Douk Saga died in the prime of his life, at the height of his glory. Now the question is: has he himself smashed his destiny or did anyone else do it? The answers are in the book.
What is the influence of rhythm on the Ivorian youth, even African?
Beyond the cut-off music that dances Africa and its diaspora, there is the cut-off social phenomenon that influences many young people. Let me give you an example: before the advent of the coupé-décalé, the young Ivorians would refer to the two Congos very much in terms of fashion and clothing. Congolese were moved to come and make clothes for the Ivorians. With the cut-off, the Ivorians themselves dare their own dress style. This daring dress, it is the creators of the coupé-décalé who had it first. Another thing, today the phenomenon of “browsing” (scam on the internet) has grown and we accuse the creator of the cut-off of having invented it. My book explains how the coupé-décalé influences (deliberately or not) the phenomenon of grazing.
Some do not hesitate to criticize the offbeat cut: deafening music, text without interest, even coarse?
There is truth in these criticisms. But afterwards, the public is judge alone. Since the advent of the coupé-décalé, dozens of stars were born before falling into oblivion because the public did not want any more. In the cut-off, if the public no longer wants an artist, it almost disappears from the scene. How many artists cut-off were all at the top of the poster before falling into total forgetfulness? Tens. The other thing I want to say is that at the base, the cut-off is festive in its DNA. It was created during the first civil war in Cote d’Ivoire to distract, to make forget the pangs of this conflict. The zouglou who is another Ivorian musical genre is more inclined and make texts to raise awareness. The coarse texts in the coupé-décalé have multiplied in recent years. Of course, they must be denounced and condemned because there are children who listen to these texts. If need be censor all coarse texts, if any can censor an artist in the internet age.
Usher Aliman, author et journalist.
What about the book on zouglou, ” Espoir 2000, the secrets of a zouglou insoumis ”?
The idea came to me in 2014, a yearand the celebration of the zouglou’s 25th anniversary. I wanted to write the history of the zouglou generation (from the creators of the zouglou to the zouglous of the first and second generation). I wanted to write this story with the course of the band zouglou Espoir 2000 in red thread because initially this group was the melting pot of several talents zougloutiques. Many of the current zouglou stars were members of the Espoir 2000 group before flying on their own.
The book tells the story of the generation Zouglou with the course of Espoir 2000?
The zouglou, musical genre born on the university campuses of Ivory Coast has vocation to carry the social demands of the neglected, the low people. Generally this zouglou is not cold to the eyes when it is a question of spitting its truths to the rulers. This zouglou has never been subdued or tamed. Whatever the regimes that follow one another in Côte d’Ivoire, zouglous artists have always denounced bad governance, embezzlement, unlawful enrichment, endemic corruption, insider trading, and so on. And in my opinion the zouglou must remain unconvinced because he is one of the few credible megaphone in Côte d’Ivoire.
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on two other books. I also work on a documentary about the artist Meiway and the zoblazo. To do this I had to go training “Galaxie Africa” (the producer of the TV program “Réussite”), in collaboration with Canal + and Vivendi.
CINEMA
BURKINA FASO – Culture and tourism: The 4th edition of Tunnel honors the builders of the shadow
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.
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
See on the platforms the legendary Senegalese hip-hop group Daara J Family. On May 30, 2025, the band returns with “COSAAN”, a committed single that resonates, with its morning mbalax melodies and gentle flows, as an essential reminder: never forget where you come from. The single has over 80,000 views and 900 comments on YouTube.
“Fan nga cosaanoo?” – Where are your roots?
This question in wolof, almost a supplication, serves as the thread to the new title of Daara J Family. NAACP literally means “origin” or “heritage”. With this single, the iconic duo formed by Faada Freddy and Ndongo D delivers a work that is at once poetic, political and deeply rooted in history, especially that of Senegal. It is also a call to African youth not to forget their origins. And above all to enhance its cultural heritage by walking with pride in the footsteps of the ancients.
Cosaan, between mbalax and rap
Formed in 1994, while still in high school, the members of Daara J Family never gave up their musical identity. Indeed, they have always mixed sharp words, spirituality and pan-African consciousness. In “COSAAN”, they revisit this tradition that is dear to them. In this song, there are traditional sounds (mbalax) and contemporary hip-hop textures, echoing their long-standing belief: rap was born in Africa, traveled, then came back. The refrain, translated into French, is unequivocal: “Le monde et ce qu’il contient / Si tu vas là et que tu l’obtiens / N’oublie pas, n’oublie pas / This is where your origin lies!” A direct appeal to African youth not to give in to cultural amnesia and to keep the memory of ancestors and African identity alive.
When history inhabits the word
Faada Freddy, with his recognizable soul voice among a thousand, hums: “We know where we come from/ What worries us is where we are going…” This lucid concern can only be tempered by an unwavering faith in the values of the elders. Ndongo D, adds in a quick flow: “If you forget yesterday, tomorrow you will be lost (…) You were born here, you come from here, you live here.” It is an anchor cry, a response to uprooting, a warning against forgetting.
Daara J Family: Making sense of the flow
From their first eponymous album in 1998 to Boomerang in 2003 — hailed as one of the best hip-hop albums of the century by The Observer — to Yaamatele in 2020, Daara J Family have always been able to combine the art of flow with that of meaning. Their commitment goes beyond words. They shared the stage with icons such as Public Enemy or Mos Def, and travelled through festivals from Africa to Europe, from WOMAD to Live 8.
COSAAN: a single dedicated to transmission
More than a return, COSAAN is a transmission. It is a manifesto. That of a knowledge, a duty to remember, a pride. At a time when markers are shifting, when crops are being diluted. In an era marked by migration, globalization and multiple influences, Daara J Family reminds us that identity is a foundation, not a burden. That heritage is not nostalgia, but a compass. And they offer a musical compass and identity with this single: Cosaan!
The monumental works depicting the battle of Little Big Horn, exhibited on the Pont des Arts in Paris in 1999, made the Senegalese artist famous. The installation has just joined the fortress in the Hautes-Alpes for at least ten years.
Muscled warriors meld, horse bumping. Sounds of the fury of battle are heard. Under the impressive curvilinear wooden frame of the old Rochambeau barracks, at the fort of Mont-Dauphin (Hautes-Alpes), is played the battle of Little Big Horn, opposing, in 1876, a coalition of Cheyennes, Sioux and Arapaho to the soldiers of General Custer’s regiment.
In thirty-five monumental sculptures, visible from 6 July, the Senegalese sculptor Ousmane Sow (1935-2016) celebrates the resounding victory of the fragile over the powerful. Deposited in this fortified village for a period of ten years renewable by his widow, the director Béatrice Soulé, this epic installation is well known to the Parisians who discovered it amazed, one day in March 1999, on the Pont des Arts.
The exhibition has remained in the annals with its record attendance – at least 3 million visitors in three months. «An unexpected success», recalls art critic Emmanuel Daydé, then deputy mayor for cultural affairs. For the former physiotherapist born in 1935 in Dakar, who later became an artist, it is consecration. But also, surprisingly, a swan song.
At the moment when Ousmane Sow gains international fame, the art world turns its back on him. Although he was the first African artist recognized in France, none of his successors, to whom he had paved the way, claimed it.
Mayor’s daughter supports her cause
It had all started well. In 1993, the Senegalese sculptor, who two years earlier had been on the cover of Revue noire – a quarterly magazine that revealed a number of African talents – was invited to the major five-year exhibition at Documenta in Kassel, Germany. In 1995, here he is at the Venice Biennale, which is to contemporary art what the Cannes Film Festival is to cinema. The autodidact dreams of an event in Paris.
By chance, he met Hélène Tiberi, daughter of the mayor at the time, Jean Tiberi. Who supports his cause at the City Hall. The location is easy: it will be the Pont des Arts, between the Louvre and the Academy of Fine Arts. It will take diplomatic treasures to convince these two institutions, who have not seen with a good eye the proximity of massive silhouettes imagined by an African artist.Archives «World»: Ousmane Sow questions Bordeaux and politicians
The neighbouring National School of Fine Arts, where figurative art was then taboo, is also pinching its nose. Money is missing. The Havas group had initially promised to contribute to the addition of 5 million francs (the equivalent of 1 million euros today), but its new CEO, Jean-Marie Messier, is sneaking out. Béatrice Soulé moves heaven and earth, finds sponsors and is personally indebted to the tune of 1 million francs. More here
Source: Le Monde
