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CULTURE

CULTURE-LIVRE – “Forever Africa” by Viviana Vammalle

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During UNESCO’s African Week, the Ze-Africanews team went to meet Ana Maria de la Bruyère, the editor of “Forever Africa”, a photo book by Viviana Vammalle.

“Forever Africa” recounts the human and artistic adventure of Viviana Vammalle, a psychologist by profession, a photographer by passion, who went to meet the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa who, unless they were urgently aware, seem inexorably doomed to a form of cultural extinction, condemned by the westernization that spreads throughout Africa, gradually resulting in the abandonment of their ancestral traditions.

This book, as well as the art book that seduces us at first glance, is a shocking testimony about these tribes in danger. It could only be achieved through the trust patiently woven through years of friendship, on the ground, in respect of their customs and intimacy. It is in this capacity that Viviana Vammalle and her friend Ana María de La Bruyère, artistic designer of the work and its initiator, both received the title of Honorary Ambassador of the United Nations for having documented the way of life and customs of these ethnic groups and especially in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Ethiopia and Kenya.

Very sensitive to this project, Her Royal Highness The Queen Diambi Kabatusuila of Congo actively supports this work, having agreed to participate in its presentation at the Musée du Quai Branly’s bookstore on October 21, 2021, as well as in its promotion and related events.

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Ana Maria de la Bruyère ©Ze-Africanews.com
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CULTURE

MALI – Bet successful! Sidiki Diabaté breaks La Défense Arena

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No need to sift through the online listening statistics to know the depth of Sidiki Diabaté’s popularity pool in Paris, you just had to be at his concert on Saturday, February 8, 2025, at La Défense Arena.
A torrid night on the musical Seine
After the Zenith in September 2022 and the multipurpose hall of Bercy in November 2023, the king of the kora – who succeeded his late father – has just taken a step forward by investing the mythical Défense Arena. Powerful bass provided a unique visual and sound experience in this room, one of the largest in Europe. For those who still doubted the artist’s ability to take on such a challenge, they were served. Sidiki Diabaté, in the prime of his life, is still at the top of his form. Something that has escaped more than one: February 8 was also the artist’s birthday. Thirty-two years well counted. The public, transported by the magic of live music, in an overheated atmosphere like a night club at three o’clock in the morning, oscillated between fervour and contemplation. But doubt was not allowed. Only one word was correct: to surrender in this grand raout.

A well-groomed performance
Toumani Diabaté’s son has done his family, the Mandingo griot caste – and especially his father, Toumani Diabaté. When the king of kora came on stage…. What do I say? He didn’t come on stage; he literally came out. When the glowing light fell on the very female audience, a vibrant ovation, punctuated by applause and cheers, resounded in the immensity of the arena. And the artist, gold crown on his head, in black blaser, came out of a cleverly arranged trap in the middle of the stage. The fans of the Malian crooner, electrified by sophisticated lighting games, giant screens broadcasting high-definition images and calibrated acoustics for a perfect sound restitution, could no longer hold their hands. A hardly believable fervor for this young artist who had quickly been made to rank in the drawer of past fashion stars.

Moment of transcendent immersion
It was an evening full of surprises, especially thanks to the diversity of musical styles. Although we expected to hear his harmonious mix of traditional music and contemporary sounds, we were still amazed by the artist’s dexterity. The bass, deep and crystal clear, resonated without saturation, while each note played on the kora of Sidiki Diabaté seemed to float in space, enveloping the audience in a pure musical immersion. Skilfully mixing traditional Malian music with modern genres such as rap, hip-hop and R&B, he has, and excuse me for pléonasme, made the crowd applaud with both hands. Reprising his hit songs in chorus with the public, Sidiki Diabaté, with his exceptional talent, has created a unique musical experience for the audience. An exciting performance.

Guests from brands
Sidiki Diabaté also invited some of his friends to come on stage. Among these people were several well-known artists such as Mokobé, Black M, Sidy Diop and Wally Seck. The key moment was when he began to play classics of his repertoire such as “Béni” (2019) and “Kora Lover” (2024). And especially the perfectly executed choreographies. In the biggest concert hall in Europe (U Arena), the new king of the kora has written a new page in his career. “This concert is a renaissance, a new era for Mandingo music,” he said. As he did in November 2023 at the Accor Arena (Bercy) in Paris, Sidiki Diabaté repeated his feat by filling the 40,000 seats of the U Arena. He promised sparks, we saw flames roaring from mobile phones.

A decisive moment
Visually it wasn’t the Super Bowl, but the stage design was spectacular. Light projections transformed the room into a moving setting, amplifying the emotion of the show. The lighting, synchronized with the mandingo rhythms and the vocal flights of the king of the kora, sublimated each moment. The event also provided an opportunity for the kora virtuoso to gauge the success of his brand new album, “Kora Lover”, among both European audiences and the African diaspora. And that night was the perfect occasion for it. Before the concert, he posted on his social media: «I look forward to meeting you this Saturday 8 February in the largest venue in Europe to write together a new page in the history of African music». We can say, after the concert, that the powerful notes of Sidiki Diabaté’s kora will resonate for a long time in the halls of La Défense Arena.

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A LA UNE

MARTINIQUE – Jerryka Jacques-Gustave, an exceptional voice “marked with iron” by Johnny Hallyday

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When Johnny Hallyday died, everyone had something to say. Those who had seen the man at the exit of the Accord Arena and those who had never heard a note of his music. It was almost saturation. But among all of them, if there was one person who knew him both in life and on stage, it would be Jerryka Jacques-Gustave, his chorister. Curtain-raising for a top artist.
Johnny Hallyday aux Trois Mailletz
Jerryka Jacques-Gustave is no longer to be presented. Or perhaps it is. For if we have all, one day, heard his voice, it must be recognized that it is not always easy to associate a face and a name. It is the ravishing chorister martiniquaise, beautiful, thin, with a devastating smile, who stood behind the rock legend, Johnny Hallyday. You see now! Even though Johnny is no longer with us, Jerryka has never stopped making her voice resound in the Parisian concert halls, especially in the famous cabaret Aux Trois Mailletz.

Early artist
Jerryka Jacques-Gustave was not always in Johnny’s entourage. Former chorister of the latter, of which she was the conductor for four years, she knew how to seize her chance when an opportunity presented itself. Her career has not always been one of lights and rhinestones, however. It all begins for Jerryka in Fort-de-France. At the age of 12, she sang for the first time in the city’s cathedral. After a long break in music, her fate takes a turning point when she goes to Paris in 1983, at the age of 17. Disillusion! Parisians do not have the idyllic image that she had always imagined. Between studies of hairdressing and small jobs, she makes a meeting that will change her life: an unknown invites her to pose her voice in the studio. This opportunity leads her to the talented Édith Lefel and, above all, to Pedro Wognin, her mentor and future companion, who invites her home to Ivory Coast, a country that she will adopt as a second homeland.

Jerryka: piano bars at the Stade de France
In the late 1980s, Jerryka performed at Back Street, a piano bar that Johnny Hallyday loved. Ten years later, unaware of the turning point in her career, she is called to an audition with two other choristers. His heart leaped in his chest. The surprise is immense when she learns that she has just been selected to accompany the idol of young people during his mythical concert at the Stade de France. “We were taken to the Stade de France with Johnny, and there the real adventure began,” she recalls with emotion. As a chorister, she has to learn more than 51 songs and offer vocal arrangements. Beyond the challenge of such a responsibility, she sees it as an unforgettable opportunity that gives new impetus to her career.

Anecdotes about a generous and perfectionist Johnny
Jerryka remembers Johnny as an extraordinary artist who “…stands above the star…”. He was concerned about his audience and eager to push himself, […] always wanted to go above and beyond, to put himself in danger. He was getting on a helicopter, passing under a trap door… He was really putting himself in danger, but the show was so beautiful,” she says admiring. She also remembers a funny moment: one day, Johnny learns that she is organizing a dinner at her mother’s with some guests. He then, falsely offended, says, “I’m disappointed that I wasn’t invited.” Jerryka laughs again as he tells the story. Finally, he and Laeticia join the table, sharing a warm moment around the famous Caribbean crab family. Another memorable memory makes her smile: during a concert at the Olympia, a badly tied chorister loses her shoe in the middle of the performance. This one touches the ear of Johnny, who bursts with laughter and struggles to resume his song as the situation amuses him. Then comes the fatal moment she will never forget: December 6, 2017. Johnny Hallyday dies while singing in a cabaret. She then remembers a moment of tenderness: during a concert by Sylvie Vartan, where she was the chorister, Johnny had presented her to the public declaring that she was “one of the best”. According to her, the whole man is there.

Jerryka, between music and naturopathy
Jerryka Jacques-Gustave continues to sing at the cabaret Aux Trois Mailletz, where she amazes her small audience of regulars. But far from being limited to music, she also explores other horizons: she is a model for makeup and natural health educator, specializing in nutrition, naturopathy and phyto-aromatherapy. Jerryka’s singing with Johnny Hallyday was “a unique experience…that left a mark on her”.

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CULTURE

CAMEROON – Julia Young, a voice in a thousand colors

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The Franco-Cameroonian singer, who vocalises in bafia, crossed African rhythms with western melodies in the 80s and quickly became one of the most beautiful voices in West Africa. Look back on the exceptional career of an artist with incomparable vocal luxuriance who is also part of the group Nipa.
The resurrection of a diva
Julia Young launched her musical career in the late 1980s in Côte d’Ivoire. One is immediately seduced by its crystal voice which, like having wings, rises and swells with a lyricism without equal. She was one of the great female voices alongside Tshala Muana, Aïcha Koné, Nayanka Bell… She was a fan of the major stadiums in Africa, eventually settling in Abidjan, where she became owner of the cabaret La Gazelle, which was very successful at the time. Everything started for her at the age of 17, in Yaoundé, with the orchestra of the national radio of Cameroon. True globetrotter, she tries to make music a universal language.

Julia Joung: the first African scenes
After the release of his first record, Dikendi à Paradis in 1982, produced by Isidore Tamwo, his career took a turning point. With this success, she began an African tour that took her to Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, the Congo, Burkina Faso and beyond. She shares the stage with legends like Myriam Makeba, Abeti Masikini or Mbilia Bell, and is even considered as one of the great voices of the continent. In 1989, she released Frivole, followed by N’dolam in 1991. It is the apotheosis. This last album, arranged by guitarist Diblo Dibala and produced by René Provost, propels her to the front of the stage. Through these two projects, she confirms her talent as a composer and performer by mixing makossa, bikutsi and blues in a unique musical universe.

Julia Young, a diverse range
Julia Young is not limited to music. She also excels in the world of theatre and musical performances. In 2005, she played Méduse in Les Bacchantes, a production directed by Jean-Yves Pénafiel and Emmanuelle Gabarra, which led her on tour to prestigious stages in France. After spending several years in Egypt, where she explores new influences, she returns to Paris and plays many concerts at the Baiser Salé, the New Morning and the Cité de la Musique. She also enriched her artistic expression by devoting herself to painting, exhibiting her works in Cairo and Paris.

KOKEN, a strong return
After a long break, the rarity of his appearances feeds the nostalgia of his fans, and even that of a younger audience. Thanks to the help of one of these young people passionate about her career, Julia Young returns in 2022 with KOKEN, an EP where she fuses afropop, blues, jazz and reggae. The titles Boum, Betoren, Koken and Bim i Bell carry strong messages, mixing sweetness and melancholy. With a voice ripened by travel and time, she evokes figures like Nina Simone or Tracy Chapman, oscillating between commitment and sensitivity.

A musical heritage anchored and open to the world
Julia Young deserves to be in the Guinness Book of World Records. She is indeed the first artist to have sung at the Stade de France in 1997 during the match Variétés Club de France against the team of the constructors of the Stadium. This diva, who sings in several Cameroonian languages, deeply anchors her music in the African traditions while opening it to contemporary influences. Today, after several years of absence, she returns with an EP supported by rich instrumentation and profound texts.

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