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CULTURE

SENEGAL – Keur Gui speaks to the “4 Alkati” with performance notes

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The Galsen rap infantry are back. They seem to have stocked up on ammunition for a new musical assault. The target: the police. The bullet: the pyromelodic clip: “4 Alkati”. Released on August 23, 2022, this video has 135,844 views. Thiat alias Mass 36 and Kilifeu alias Kalashnikov return with a new “musical shell” just as protesting as the previous ones. Shocking lyrics, a rich flow and stage names from French (Mass 36) and Russian (Kalashnikov) armories. Explosive cocktail!

Originally from Kaolack, two young rappers, Thiat and Kilifeu, set up the band “Keur Gui” in 1996. The group runs on empty. Despite the combined talent of the two rappers, success eludes them. In an unhealthy political context, he founded a group of citizens “Y n’a en assez”. The political scene will be the ideal tripod to storm the music scene. The band is gaining credibility and notoriety. Coming from hip-hop, the group Keur Gui offers a colorful rap; a mixture of uppercut words that hits the Senegalese government hard. Young people love them. The government is putting a price on their heads. This rap galsen that comes from the guts gives a singular arrangement and a rebellious sound. Their repertoire borrows a lot from mbalax, traditional Senegalese music. Their mixture of languages (Wolof and French) gives to each of their sound a singular sonority, characteristic of reactionaries. This style of committed rap will make Keur Gui an atypical group and very popular with Senegalese youth. He denounces the evils that undermine society in a mixture that speaks as well to the soul as to the conscience.

Always right in their boots. Here’s how you could summarize Keur Gui. In five letters. After the album “Encyclopedia”, the band once again loads the Senegalese state. In this new flow, the band has again set the bar high. If each of their songs can be considered a bomb, “Alkati” is equivalent to plutonium for military use. With this new musical warhead, the group attacks the forces of law and order who defraud the populations. In the last album, it was the regime that was put on the dock. “4 Alkati” was concocted in the same reactionary momentum. Senegalese justice is corrupt like most African justices. It is in short, what they say in this song which I do not understand all the lyrics, me, the abidjanais. They’re bludgeoning law enforcement. This video, released in a rather tense political climate following the general elections where the party in power has just experienced a setback, also provokes an avalanche of virulent criticism on the one hand and appreciation on the other.

Far from focusing on the song itself, Internet users are attacking Kilifeu, who for months had been in trouble with the law. Motive: a history of trafficking in diplomatic passports. According to some Internet users, he should not demand from the state the integrity that he himself does not demonstrate. A more virulent surfer writes: “Keur Gui loves kilifeu really these buffoons should shut up and hide instead of wanting to give hypocritical lessons, they are in full disgrace and they even know their loved ones answer them with contempt“. Difficult to separate the artist from his art. Once again, the perennial question is brought to the fore. Another takes it in reverse: “Thank you Keur Gui you are the pride of a youth standing up to face oppression”. And one last on their youtube channel says, “When the artist plays his endless role as the voice of the people, the rays of his music soothe those who sink into despair. When the artist becomes food and purely alienated, his production is only ruin of the soul of the fighter. Keur gui crew, the souls of the martyrs and the hearts of the patriots roll out the carpet in the circle of his heroes.”

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CULTURE

IVORY COAST – Ninwlou will be in Concert Slam on next Saturday

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On Saturday, September 14, 2024, at 7:30 pm, at the Wafou in Biétri, Nin’wlou, the slammer poet, will be in Concert Slam. When I talk about him, many will say it’s “something else”. And they’ll be right, because it’s going to be “Something Else” than a concert.

Around the slam
Even if the slam is now highly publicized “Le slam va bien, comme le disent les slameurs eux-mêmes”, it remains that it still hesitates to submit easily to attempts of definition, classification. It is a concept that could be described as polysemic since it is quite fluffy. Poetry? What poetry? A form of poetry? Singing? Rap?… A kind of African orality? Or a form of expression that is an intersection of several forms of artistic expression… Also, to be established in this environment (as elsewhere), any slameur must be original, that is to say, stand out from the crowd and draw crowds. And that’s Nin’wlou! Do not always recite the same texts without breath and avoid to invoke to pull-larigot common places devoid of charm. To be at the top, the slameur must always surprise himself. Ninwlou has understood this so well that he is now one of the essential voices of slam in West Africa.

Something else, like a maieutic
One thing is certain: “Autre Chose” will be “Of lightning and lightning: song of embers for a freedom in flames” – Thank you to the Muses with winged breasts for inspiring me this phrase: incruster Jean-Marie Adiaffi in this Autre Chose that Nin’wlou is about to offer. This association of poets prophesies what will happen. In this slam concert, the speech will be sometimes fire, sometimes embers; in any case, it will be something different than everything you have seen or heard on the slam. Artistic magic is using everyday words to breathe their own breath. Today and for eternity, the slam will remember that Nin’wlou did something else.

When the crisis gives rise to a vocation
Yet Nin’wlou’s love of words only began in 2010, the year of the post-election crisis in Côte d’Ivoire. As what, some brains only come to boil when bullets whistle over their heads. Since then, he has been constantly receiving awards and honours, both in the music scene “Man Tchè”, “Niehi, “Pour ces mômes” and in literature (Marche du Feu, 2022).

A voice for the future
With his voice a little nastily, Nin’wlou slame like a stand-upper. Donel Jack’sman sums up the artist’s art perfectly with this phrase: “… it is when a guy has the grace to make you believe that everything he tells is not written, that it is totally impro.” Nin’wlou energizes words, even those that are outdated, with an elegant panache. Go see Nin’wlou on stage unrolling his great lyric poetry. The slam of Nin’wlou, metaphors that trap and dazzle: the poetic panenka.

Ninw’lou

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CULTURE

SENEGAL – Mia Guissé sets fire to Casino of Paris: an anthology concert

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On Saturday, September 7, 2024, it was in the midst of the greatest success, quite enthusiastically, and in the presence of a large audience that a brilliant evening took place at the Casino de Paris. An exceptional event was on the program: the first major concert of Mia Guissé, organized by Boss +, the company for broadcasting and production of live shows. The Senegalese diaspora, as well as many music lovers, have experienced a magnificent concert, punctuated by the appearances of renowned artists such as Axel Merryl, Waly Seck or JAHMAN X-PRESS… For those who could not attend the event for reasons beyond their control, here are the highlights of this memorable evening where Senegal was celebrated in the heart of Paris. 

A lively atmosphere and a captivated audience
When we talk about a musical show, it is often the artist who is put forward; we don’t talk much about the orchestra. Before Mia’s arrival, the audience was enthralled by the skillful one who heated up the room with the energetic performance of Angie la Showkine. Then, come the friendly Seny Diop, star of mbalax, and the group Serigne Mor, who take the public with breath with its unmatched percussions. Congratulations to Boss +, who did not skimp on the means to make this concert a success.

Mia Guissé: a royal entrance and unforgettable duets
It is around 9 pm that Mia Guissé enters the room. The applause is thunderous, and the light plays sublimate his arrival. Wearing a glittering outfit, she begins with “IDDA”, the famous title that made her fame. The audience loves it. The cheers are running. With each of his songs, drawn from his repertoire, the brilliant star of the Casino, with the sharpest brightness of his voice, raises the thunder of applause. Throughout the evening, the singer never stopped surprising, chaining the songs with impeccable control. The show gains crescendo in intensity as guest artists take turns to take their place on the podium. The moving moment is when guest artist Axel Merryl joins her on stage. Together, they perform “Titulaire”, an already cult piece. The chemistry between the two artists is palpable. The duo inflames the room. But that’s not all: Mia also shares the stage with Waly Ballago Seck on the hit «Confuse». There are also artists like Jahman X-PRESS who, with his singular style, contributed to the show.

Spectacular outfits
Mia Guissé is dazzled not only by her talent, but also by her breathtaking outfits. As soon as she enters, she attracts all eyes with a white dress illuminated by garlands. As the show goes on, she follows with a bold denim outfit, composed of a corset and trousers with original details. Not forgetting her origins, she winks at the Peulh culture by wearing a traditional white boubou, embellished with jewelry and accessories.

A promising career
Mia Guissé has once again proved that she is a complete artist, both in her musical talent and her stage presence. This concert at the Casino de Paris, we hope, is just a new stage in a promising career. And hats to Boss + who always manages to make good African music heard in Paris by the African diaspora.

MIA GUISSÉ

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CULTURE

SENEGAL – MIA GUISSÉ, AN ARTIST WHO ROCKS

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See you on Saturday, September 7, 2024 at 8 pm at the Casino de Paris. But it will not be to play blackjack, baccarat or even poker. The venue will be the stage of a large-scale musical show, organized by Boss Plus & Co, where Mia Guissé intends to make you go through all kinds of emotions. You will be warned!

Origins
Her real name is Aïssata Guissé, and she comes from Tambacounda, Senegal. She is not a novice who entered the music on a whim. At a very young age, she began performing at events in her home region. Then, after joining a group for a few years, she decides to go it alone. However, it is her title “Idda” that will reveal her to the world and make her enter the hearts of music lovers.

Career is a blast
The heart of music lovers conquered, this lovely singer with a sultry aura chases the tubes, starting with “Life is beautiful”, followed by “GLP” (2023), a *ndeweneul* with a frenetic rhythm and high in color. She then wins her ticket to skim the catwalks. She is not going to rest on her laurels and starts a tour of Senegal with “Éclosion”, as if to say that now the caterpillar has become a butterfly. Everywhere she goes, it’s sold out. There’s no one in the arts community but her. Obviously, it gets the title of «Tsunami de la musique sénégalaise» as it attracts crowds.

Mia Guissé @Photo page Facebook Mia Guissé

Haunting music
Her songs, with effervescent rhythms, are tinged with hip-hop. But when you listen closely, it is clearly afropop that she makes. Mia borrows a lot from the mbalax, with a sublime voice that gives the wolof a unique sound. Even if her flow is similar to that of Nigerian artists, Mia manages to retain this characteristic touch of mbalax. It’s true that her stage outfits don’t appeal to everyone, but it’s her personality. We’ll say she is like this! Let’s take it that way.

From success to success
In November 2023, it is the consecration when she releases a breathtaking single: “Lonkotina”. The video reaches one million views in less than 48 hours, an artistic feat. It means only one thing: the audience loves it. She multiplies collaborations with artists from different backgrounds. In May 2024, she released a new single whose clip, shot on the shores of the Ébrié lagoon in Abidjan, captivates music lovers. In an afropop style, she shows herself comfortable on mbalax.

Mia Guissé @Photo page Facebook Mia Guissé

A multi-talented artist
This rising star of Senegalese music has more than a string to its bow. In addition to being a great singer, Mia Guissé is also an accomplished designer. She designs and creates her own stage outfits, as well as those of her dancers and all the other members of her orchestra. All her clothing is branded with the brand “Miaguissestyle”, a brand that embodies a modern and authentic African vision of fashion.

A concert not to be missed
Mia Guissé will perform on September 7 at the Casino de Paris, and the atmosphere promises to be an unforgettable moment for her fans. This concert will start at 8 p.m. You are all invited. We have reserved our seats. You are the only ones missing! At the Casino de Paris, we’re gonna blow up the bank.

Mia Guissé @Photo page Facebook Mia Guissé

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