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Tiken Jah Fakoly's victory
Recognition for the reggae rebel from Odienné
Paris
21/02/2003 -
RFI/Musique: What does it mean to you to win a "Victoire de la Musique" award? Do you feel vindicated by this act of public recognition or is there more to it than that?
Tiken Jah Fakoly: It's great to see my work being recognised by the public and now by music industry professionals in France. I'm obviously really thrilled about that. What's more, I think this is the first time in the history of the "Victoires de la musique" that an African has won this award - in any case an African playing reggae like me. I think the award will bring a lot to my music and my career. It's a great victory, but the day of my biggest victory will be the day when Africa enjoys total freedom and unity, because the mission I've set myself in life is the mission the youth of Africa have entrusted me with. So, yes, the "Victoire de la musique" award is a nice personal victory but my hope is that the bigger victory I was talking about happens soon.
What would you say helped you break through on the international music scene?
Well, people had already got into Jamaican reggae and they'd discovered Alpha Blondy too – Alpha's enjoyed absolutely phenomenal success in Europe! - and I think they were basically looking for the next big reggae thing. It just so happened that the next chapter in the reggae story was happening in Ivory Coast. We'd already produced a lot of major stars like Serge Kassy, Ismaël Isaac and Solo Jah Gunt. Everyone went through Paris so that's the route I followed too and when I arrived here I think people saw me as someone who could represent the next generation. Then, of course, there's the message I put across in my work. That's what helped build my reputation here.
Would you say the style of reggae you play uses a beat the public is already familiar with or something that's never been heard before?
I bring a very special Mandingo sound to reggae, specially on tracks like Nazara and Y’en a marre on the album Françafrique and I think that's what makes me stand out from the crowd. I work with typical Mandingo guitar sounds that have never been used in reggae before. Then, of course, there have been various collaborations with Jamaican stars like Sly & Robbie and Tyrone Downie.
It appears that your career was really launched with the album Mangercratie, that's the point at which the public really began following your music in Ivory Coast and west Africa…
Yes, there's no doubt about it, it was Mangercratie that really made my name. I think the thing that made Mangercratie such a big hit was that this was the first time a singer had stood up and addressed politicians directly with no beating about the bush.(Tiken breaks into song) "Go and tell the politicians to take our names out of their business. We've understood what's going on!" I'm not saying I was the first to stand up and point the finger at politicians, but a lot of the singers who'd done so before me had done it in a roundabout way, using proverbs. But I decided to attack things directly with lyrics like "Go and tell the politicians!" And I think young people in Africa finally felt they had a spokesperson. I think that's what brought me a following throughout the whole of west Africa.
Where did you get the inspiration for Mangercratie?
I recorded Mangercratie at the end of '95 in the JBZ studios in Abidjan and it came out at the end of '96. The event that really triggered the album off came in '95 when they staged the first elections after the death of President Houphouët-Boigny. There were a lot of rumours going on about the dodgy dealings of politicians at the time. And there was a huge demonstration in Odienné (Tiken's hometown). Protestors burnt down the local government offices because they didn't want to vote in the elections and they were being forced to. There were a lot of things like that going on in '95. That's why on Mangercratie there are songs like Plus jamais ça (Never Again!)Why were you asked to get involved in the fund-raising concert for the "Drop The Debt" campaign?
Well, I think the organisers realised I was basically fighting the same battle as them. They could see my message had got across to a whole following of fans in Africa and that young people in the West were beginning to listen to my music too. It was a good way of getting their message across. I feel very honoured to have been asked to get involved in the campaign and very happy to see that people in the West wanted to fight this battle. It just goes to show that Babylon's not just full of egoists!
Which of your songs was chosen for the Drop the Debt album?
Baba, a song from my album Caméléon, which has never been released in France. Baba is a song about our relatives, the farming community in Africa. Everywhere you go in Africa you hear that the success of the country is down to agriculture and the farming community. But take a closer look at the farming community and you'll find they're the poorest of the lot! It's terrible when you realise that a tractor costs 6,000 euros and cars cost 15,000 euros, but officials prefer to buy air-conditioned cars for people working in offices in Abidjan who, incidentally love eating rice and foutou but the farm workers who've produced that rice and foutou are actually living in appalling conditions. I think it's totally inadmissible that in the year 2003 there are still people on this planet slaving away with hoes and machetes. What I'm trying to do is defend the farming community who are the backbone of Africa. I feel strongly that a large part of the debt should be reimbursed to them. But unfortunately money is now being poured into a whole lot of other things which are far less important for Africa.
Is there any other urgent project or campaign you'd like to throw your weight behind?
Yes, there's one thing I'd really love to do and that's build a studio in Abidjan to help young up-and-coming musicians. At some point in the future I'd also like to set up my own distribution company and create a radio station playing 100% reggae, like they have in Jamaica. I really hope we'll finally get unity in this country and that the authorities will let me go ahead and carry out all these projects one day.
Néré
Translation : Julie Street
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