CULTURE
SENEGAL : The new novel of Marcel A. Monteil
The Senegalese author Marcel A. Monteil has just released his first book “Le mandate du chaos”. Here are some powerful excerpts : Mandate of Chaos O Kanka Moussa, you the grand mansa, king of kings, king of gold, from the bottom of your mausoleum, light up my path 7 times because your fortune, however immense it was, could not keep your grandchildren at home.
You Bakary II, Emperor-Explorer, Sovereign Navigator, reveal to me your secret so that I can face the demons of the sea. I want to see the end of the desert, I want to discover the other side of the ocean.
Sogolon Kèdjou, woman humiliated by the handicap of your son, great king unable to bring you a “modern Baobab leaf” printed in Chamalières, let me go and seek happiness. Sassouma Bérété will no longer mock you; she will silence her mocking laughter and her malevolence.
Prepare my talismans, call upon the greatest shamans of the Negus Empire, whether they are connected with nature or complacent with helpless spirits … I am all set.
I am leaving since the unworthy modern Kansas successors of Soundiata have no empathy, love, or compassion for the people. They sacrifice the madrasas of their land at the same time as they send their offspring to learn from Charlemagne. They prepare them to become future Mokonzi and cowardly hatch their plan: to make us eternal servants. This cannot continue!
They no longer worry about the well-being, health and development of their fellow citizens who languish in poorly landscaped neighborhoods that look like backwaters from the first rain. Hospitals, if they are not inaccessible, are in ruins or bankrupt, dying places for the poor. They, meanwhile, to whiten their teeth yellowed by indolence and arrogance go to the doctors of the major clinics in the north.
I will follow the gentle smoke trail of the iron bird with my eyes because I am not worthy of taking a seat in it. The requirements to access it are so complex, so exhausting, so humiliating for us …
I will go elsewhere for you Sogolon Diata, I will be the little Soundiata. I want to thrive, to flee this tyrant, corrupt, bloodthirsty Manikongo warlord, exploiting child soldiers, friend of the colonial powers. I want to run away from this famine, this injustice… I just want to leave.
Go to these imaginary lands, beyond the shore and the mirage of my dreams, described badly by those who have already been there and live there. I will go by sea, I will go by sky, I will go through the desert … I will go … far from the orchestrated turmoil, from the false misery maintained and imposed.
“Dusty, corrupt and thorny emirs, the people telle you again that you are neither eternal nor invulnerable”
Soundiata Keita! I want to leave because your charter, the Mandé charter, Kouroukan Fouga charter, plagiarized, adopted and embellished on December 10, 1948 in Paris at the Palais de Chaillot, still does not protect us. Selfish plotters with gold necklaces set with diamonds, lace aprons, supposed guardians of universal values and morals, only violate it and watch with blessing their African servants do the same.
Moses, you the prophet of God, prophet of the starving and enslaved people, prepare to stretch out your hand again over the sea. Do not let us perish at the bottom of the ocean, you the miraculous baby of the great river do not let no African child feed the coral fish. Brother of Aaron, hear and listen to the distress and the supplications of the children swallowed up by the ocean, are they not also of the people of God? Why confuse them with those of Pharaoh’s army?
Survived by a miracle, when I am on the other side, at my destination, my eyes will open and I will realize that we have the Nile, the Congo, the Niger, the Zambezi, the Orange river, that we have the Senegal river capable to water thousands and thousands of hectares still unexploited.
And now my conscience will remind me that I left behind me, out of fear and cowardice, for the benefit of the prince-tyrant, his family and his friends-enemies: petroleum, uranium, coal, manganese, bauxite, coltan, phosphate, limestone, diamonds, gold, nickel, platinum, copper, zinc, lead …
So, like the prodigal son, I will say that nothing is lacking in my father’s garden. Disappointed, I will regret the lost investment of my aunts, uncles and parents.
“Eh mba”, I will not forget the nights of great sadness and worry in the desert, the daily fear, the humiliations and my putting a price on the land of Omar Makhtar.
I will say to myself why haven’t I invested on the shores of the great lake, why haven’t I exploited my land, those I am joining in the West are going the other way to exploit my heritage.
Why face the storms of the ocean, the barbarian orders of the Sahara? Such bravery should be used to remove bad mansas. My decision is made: I will ally myself with my brothers and sisters of fate to fight the President-King-Dictator and his evil allies.
May the guardian angels of the memory of the martyrs strike us down mercilessly and for eternity if we continue to cowardly take refuge under the shell of guilty silence. May the peasants, great rebels in western Niger, curse us and deny us forever. May the spirits of Gbêhanzin king of Abomey, Almamy Samory Touré, Ruben Um Nyobè the Mpodol, Patrice Emery Lumumba the sacrificed, Benjamin Moloise the poet, Stephen Bantu Biko, Nelson Madiba Mandela the patient, Amílcar Lopes da Costa Cabral , Thomas Sankara the child of Yako, of Oumar Blondin Diop, the lamb of the sacrifice perpetrated on May 11, 1973, accuse us and drag us before the tribunal of our conscience.
What shall we say to Taytu Betul, founder of Addis Ababa, she who repelled the Italian invader, to Anne Zingha, queen of Ndongo, icon of the resistance to Portuguese imperialism, to Kimpa Vita, she who was burned alive on a pyre, to the fierce Amazons who offered the French soldiers their worst surprise on October 26, 1892, to Aline Sitoé Diatta the queen of Cabrousse …
May Presidents suffering from suicidal madness, doctor-cheaters, graduates of constitutional changes, dreamers of endless mandates, prepare their bundles. The sovereign people are ready to take back what is rightfully theirs.
Dusty, corrupt and thorny emirs, the people tell you again that you are neither eternal nor invulnerable.
God bless Africa!
Marcel Monteil
marcelmonteil@gmail.com
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
