CULTURE
GUINEA: International artist Mory Kanté has passed away

Guinean singer Mory Kanté has passed away. The one who had an international success thanks to his hit “Yéké Yéké” died at the age of 70. It was at the hospital of Conakry, the Guinean capital that he gave his last breath following a long illness. It was his son Ballé Kanté who announced it on Friday 22 May 2020 at AFP. “We saw his condition deteriorate quickly, but I was surprised anyway because he had already gone through much worse times. He suffered from chronic diseases and often travelled to France for care, but with the coronavirus it was no longer possible”.
On the facebook page “Death Kanté Official” we can also read: “The team of Communauty managers mobilized after its agreement, to maintain this page dedicated to Mr.Mory Kanté, has the deep pain of announcing to you his death occurred this Friday 22 May 2020 in Conakry! On this sad occasion, she wishes her sorrowful condolences to her biological, professional family, her many admirers in Guinea and around the world. A giant has gone to bed, the electric Griot, universally undisputed maestro of the Kora, is no longer. Peace to his soul. Amine.”.
The tributes rain
The child prodigy of African music began his career in the 1970s, he knew an international glory with his cult song “Yéké Yéké” which was listened and danced in all continents. The one we called the “electric griot”, had an exceptional career that President Alpha Condé wanted to greet on his tweeter page.
On social media tributes rain. Malian artist Mokobe113 spoke of his kindness and his actions in imposing African music all over the world.
The journalist and animator of “Couleurs Tropicales”, Claudy Siar, recounts memories between him and Mory Kanté, the relations between little and big brother and their co-dwelling in the same building in the Parisian suburb of Alfortville.
The singer Salif Keita also paid tribute to him, recalling the moments spent in the Bamako Rail Band.
Heir to the “Djélis” griots tradition
Born in Guinea in 1950, Mory Kanté is the heir to the tradition of griots, the “Djélis” of Mandé, an empire of West Africa that extended from the Atlantic Coast to the Gao region. His mother Fatoumata is of Malian origin and daughter of Djeli Mory Kamissoko who was the spiritual leader of the griots. Mory Kanté goes back and forth between school and learning to play balafon. It was at the age of 15 that her aunt Maman Ba Kassimoko, one of the singers of the National Instrumental Ensemble of Mali living in Bamako, introduced her to the profession.
Mory Kanté will then travel for three good years in the Mandingo way of life and tradition in the village. Back in the city, he discovers and loves to play other world music such as English pop, Congolese rumba, soul, chachacha and mambo of Cuba.
Mory Kanté joins the Bamako Rail Band
The child has talent, he juggles between the guitar and the balafon. He will be spotted by Tidiane Koné, a saxophonist and conductor of the Bamako Rail Band who integrates him as a guitarist in the band. It is in 1975 that he will replace the singer Salif Keïta. This is how he discovers the Kora that he will not leave anymore. He becomes a master in the art of handling this traditional instrument.
The year 1976 is a consecration for the gifted of music, he will receive the trophy of the Voice of Gold in Nigeria. In 1978, he left Abidjan after retiring from the Bamako Rail Band. He goes by his music, seducing Gérard Chess, director of the American label “Ebony Records” which will produce “Courougnégné” the first record of Mory Kanté.
“Yéké Yéké”: The international track
It is at his installation in France that “Yéké Yéké” will become a planetary tube. Mory Kanté will go around the world. The tube will take first place in the pan-European ranking of the “American Billboard”. Everything does not stop there, in 1990, the album “Touma” will pick up the Gold record in France. The artist is invited to present his Symphony of Guinea during an inaugural ceremony of the Grande Arche de la Défense in the department of 92 in Paris, he will be accompanied by 130 griots, musicians and traditional singers. Following this prestigious performance, the artist sets up in Africa a great center of promotion of the Mandingo culture which he dreamed in silence.
Mory Kanté continued his tours from 1994 to 2004, his ambition, he said, “I want to help industrialize African music and culture through this project.” A major European tour continues during the years 2002 and 2003. He gives 120 concerts in more than 25 countries and participates in many cultural events and music festivals.
“Sabou”, this is the album he decided to record in 2004, a totally acoustic album. ” The Guinean” in 2012 and 2019, he participates in the musical project “Las Maravillas de Mali – Africa Mia”.
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
CULTURE
SENEGAL – With “COSAAN”, Daara J Family signs a high-flying single

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!
ART
SENEGAL – Ousmane Sow’s massive sculptures enter the Vauban fort at Mont-Dauphin

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
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