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Salif Keita, a true independent
Wanda Records
Paris
27/03/2007 -
RFI Musique: At what point did you decide to set up your own record label?
Salif Keita: My label's actually been around since 1991 but, for various reasons, I haven't been able to do everything I wanted to with it. Wanda Records has been on hold for a while and I've only just got round to relaunching it properly now. Right from the word go, I signed several artists in Mali including Fantani Touré. That makes around ten that have been signed up to now, including the artists who made the albums we're bringing out now, all recorded in my studio.
What happened was Vivendi offered me a three-way partnership with Unesco. The deal means I can get my recording studio in Bamako up and running again and organise training sessions for sound engineers there. Another part of the deal is that Universal Jazz has agreed to distribute the three new albums I'm bringing out on Wanda Records.
And what albums are they? Can you give us a brief outline of the artists involved?
Well, the three artists I chose to work with are Sina Siyanoko, Ibrahim Nabo and Adama Coulibaly - all three of them very talented artists from different regions, each of them representing different traditional sounds. Sina Siyanoko is Malinké, he belongs to the donso ton, a hunting tribe. Adama Coulibaly is from Wassoulou and he's also a hunter. His musical mentor was Sibiri Samaké. As for Ibrahim Nabo, he's a Songhai from the north of Mali and his music revolves around modernising traditional Songhai rhythms.
Do you see setting up your own label and running your own recording studio as something that goes hand in hand?
Yes, of course. They're inextricably linked. What we need to create now in Mali, despite the constant threat of piracy, is a solid infrastructure and a professional music network. But I have to say, the current vogue for illegal copying hardly encourages one to be optimistic about the future.
Why did you choose to call your label Wanda Records and bring out a collection called "Le Village"?
I called the label Wanda because it's the name of a public square where warring parties came together to sign a peace deal. The peace deal stopped the war and put an end to violence in the 18th century, under the reign of Sundjata Keita. As to why the new record collection is called "Le Village", that's to remind everyone that at the end of the day, despite its ethnic differences, Mali is one big village. It's a place where social relationships and human values are very important.
Did you miss your native village, Djoliba, when you headed off to make a new life for yourself in France in the '80s?
Yes, I did, enormously so. I missed the local atmosphere, all those special moments spent talking and walking in the bush, the fresh air. I've returned on a regular basis ever since. I've got a boat that gets me from Bamako to Djoliba. One of the things I'd like to do, in fact, is to set up a ferry service on the river Niger to take people between Bamako and Djoliba. Right now, the only link between the two is a dirt track. In winter, in the rainy season, that trip - it's only about 40 kilometres - takes almost three hours.
Coming back to your new record collection for a moment, how many records will you actually have to sell to break even?
It would be great if we could manage to sell between 20,000 and 30,000. Obviously, recording albums in my own place considerably reduces costs. You don't have to find extra money to cover transport costs, hotel rooms and meals. And, as the studio belongs to us, there are no overheads there, either. We pay the artists in cash. Any kind of profit-sharing scheme based on sales wouldn't be any use to them - we can't control "real" sales because of the ongoing problem of piracy.
Are there any other albums in the pipeline to continue the collection after these initial three releases?
I believe we've got about thirty demos in stock, but not everything will make it through to the final release stage. We have to be selective and limit the number of releases if we want to work effectively. The plan is to record ten of the demos we have in stock in 2007 and then choose the best three of these for release. But that's a decision that will have to be made with Vivendi. They'll obviously have their say.
And when can fans expect the next Salif Keita album?
Well, I'm having a bit of a rest right now. I'm very tired. As to what I will or will not be doing in the future, we'll have to wait and see what opportunities arise. One thing I am intending to do is stand in the parliamentary elections in 2007. My programme will mainly be based on ecological issues - I want to take a stand and defend nature. I'm not really interested in getting involved in politics for politics sake. I just want to have the chance to express my views and defend my local region. I'd like to be a spokesperson for all those who never get the chance to defend their views. In fact, that's something I've been doing with my music all along, isn't it? I'll be standing as an independent – that's something I've been all along, too!
Back in 1989, when 101 African immigrants were forcefully deported from France, you wrote the song Nou pas bouger (We Will Not Be Moved) which featured on the album Ko-Yan. Seventeen years on, you've just made a new version of the song with two young rap groups, L’Skadrille and Daara J. Are you still an angry man?
Absolutely nothing's changed. In 1989, 101 Malian and Senegalese people were forced onto a government-chartered plane and flown out of the country. Today, people are being deported on a daily basis and politicians talk of "selective immigration." The subject of immigration comes up in the run-up to every single election in France with immigrants accused of being responsible for everything that's going wrong in society. I'm sick to death of all that! I'm really happy to have recorded a new version of Nou pas bouger with a bunch of young musicians who have written some brilliant lyrics. One good offshoot of that is that thanks to them, the young generation will come to discover my music.
Sina Sinayoko Boula,
Ibrahim Nabo Dounia,
Adama Coulibaly Baba.
Salif Keita featuring L’Skadrille & Daara J Nou pas bouger, single (due for release on Universal Music Jazz on 26 March)
Patrick Labesse
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