A
"Maxivacancier" in Studio Bogolan
The winner of the singing competition of the emission "Maxi Vacances
2003", Empire Vocal is in studio
for the realisation of a single produced by Nescafé. We hope
that our friend Amadou Kodio will implicate himself more in order
to allow to all his future winner to be produced by a production structure.
"The
white horse" breaks back into his gallop
Salif Keita and his
band have flight on last September 30th for Saint Denis de la Réunion
where they made concerts on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th October, 2003.
These concerts have been of course triumphal. They have thereafter
joined the old continent for a tour that will lead them to Germany,
France, Italy, Switzerland, Finland and Great Britain. The band will
be back in Bamako in the middle of November 2003.
Charm
operation
The Malian office of authors rights (BUMDA) proceeded, at the beginning
of the month to a seduction operation by going to seize pirated tapes;
an operation that took place in the surroundings of the market Dabanani.
According to the echoes, five imprudent sellers tried to oppose to
the police and were then led in front of the first commissar of Bamako,
Mme Amy Kane, well-known for her strictness. A charm operation of
the Bumda that was foreseeable because of the invectives of the culture
minister Cheick Oumar Sissoko. But the
office is aware that such opportunistic operations have already shown
their limits in the struggle against piracy. We then expected from
them to pass over this phase to undertake real good operations. Moreover,
it’s time to establish moratorium on the importation of blank
supports in the country because it is trough this breach that the
leeches come to aggravate the gangrene. The Malians , especially the
artists can no more be taken in by this kind of bluff!
Salif
Keita, Star of music
(rest)
After having told us, in the first part of this interview, about the
reasons why he didn’t take part in the last artistic and cultural
biennales of Mali, Salif
Keita here give us his point of view on the women promotion, on
the contribution of his artists and singer sisters to the artistic
and cultural notoriety of Mali, on hi political choices and his projects.
You are very engaged for the women promotion.
What is motivating this engagement?
Salif : Woman is the
first creature to congratulate. First, she accepts to suffer during
nine month to give birth. She can refuse by doing abortion. She then
sacrifices herself during 12 to 15 years to allow the child to discover
life and blossom. And yet, some children don’t recognise their
sacrifices. Woman is life. Today there are six billions of people
in the world. But without woman, all the human kind would have been
represented by Adam only. Humankind owes everything to woman.
Does the Malian society still recognise this role of the woman?
I think that if we trust them more, the Malian women can be the pillar
of our development. My wish is to see a woman standing as a candidate
in the presidential election. I’ll be the first to support her.
It’s regrettable that the first woman who did it didn’t
go until the end. Considering the way a woman loves her child, I think
that she will obligatory be good for the citizens. it’s clear
that woman is a better manager than man.
People often say that you’re
a ladies’ man. What do you think about that?
I like women! I love women because I haven’t tried the men yet.
The day a gay will manage to persuade me to taste him and if I find
it interesting than women, then I will move over into homosexual society.
The malicious who hate me say that I have a lot of love affairs and
a lot of lovers. But today, Bamako is full of brothels and they have
more clients than the simple hotels. You’ll never see Salif
Keita there so who are the clients?
Speaking about the candidature in the presidential election, why did
you support ATT (Amadou Toumani Touré President of Mali) in
2002?
ATT is a patriot and without him, the situation of Mali would have
been worse than today. It’s a leader who proved that his was
able to manage the country. He didn’t stand in the election
to enrich himself. His valour, competence and moral integrity are
known all over the world. So he doesn’t need to be president
of the republic to live well. He had a lot of opportunities to exercise
more prestigious function than being the chief of the state. But he
has always put his country before his own interests. The foundation
for the children has done more things than a lot of systems of government
in this country. It has had concrete initiatives to struggle against
poverty. The eradication of the dracunculose is one of the greatest
victories of the foundation for children. He’s a man I knew
since before the 26th march, 1991. I’m persuaded that his political
ambitions are noble, like most of the Malians think. This is why he’s
in Koulouba (place of the government) today.
What
do you think of the Malian music?
she has a huge notoriety in the entire world. But it has also a negative
impact because our musicians are loosing their originality.
They let themselves submerge by other concept. It’s interesting
and enriching to open to other influences, but, we must not lose our
authenticity. The more authentic we are, the more valour we’ll
have. An originality that makes that Malian music is one of the more
appreciated ones in the world. We must struggle to merit this place.
We can stay roots and make people dance. I think that a too much sophisticated
music is like a black woman who de-pigments herself: she‘s disgusting.
Do the female artists contribute to this notoriety?
I n this notoriety, the female artists fought to safeguard two values:
the first is the place of the Malian women in the society; a very
important place that our sisters keep on safeguarding. They have also
shown that women can contribute to give a better image of the country
through artistic and cultural promotion. They have an important place
in the cultural influence of Mali. We must add that our singers contributed
to the transmission of our history from generation to generation.
Will
the safeguarding of the present notoriety have other artists to take
over? Today, the young artists have real production and promotion
difficulties. What can you do for them?
It’s in order to make the production and promotion of the young
talents easier that I’ve created Wanda Records more than ten
years ago. But this structure isn’t what I’ve been expecting
because some people did their best to make things more difficult for
me. They did their best to make me leave because I hate mediocrity
and dishonesty. The majority of the producers of Mali are pirates
who do their best to destroy you when you don’t play their game.
They united against me by denigrating me. These people who spend all
their time praying in mosques are only malicious and slave drivers
who are exploiting artists. When the artists, population and authorities
of Mali will know who they really are, it will be a beginning to the
solution against piracy. Then, the serious structures will get out
while the going’s good by securing the production and the promotion
of the young talents. And I will go on fighting to make it happen.
Is
the realisation of the culture space Moffou in Kalabankoro the fact
that this will to fight for the cultural influence of Mali goes ahead?
Of course it is! I told you at the beginning of this interview that
I will never give up. And nothing will ever impeach me to bring my
modest contribution to the building of Mali. The role of Moffou is
to make the cultural exchanges easier. The foreign artists can meet
their Malians colleagues there. It will permit to promote the Malian
music and to export it better. Thus in next January, I have a free
hand in the house of music in Paris, where I do anything I want, to
bring new talents to make shows and meet international press. It the
case of Fati Kouyaté, young rappers
and Alpha Diakité, who is the
son of my late friend Sambou Diakité.
On
Moffou, you made a wonderful duet with Cesaria Evora (Yamore). Will
there be such an experience with singers such as Kandia
Kouyaté, Rokia
Traoré, Djénéba
Seck or Oumou Sangaré?
It’s not excluded because I’m always opened to such experiences.
Unfortunately, the politic of the Malian producers is to divide and
rule. They never encourage any one to approach me because they’re
afraid that I make the other artists revolt against them. And most
of the artists are illiterate so they cannot state their interests.
This is why pirates manage to divide us. I’m sure that all together,
we can realise surprising and wonderful things that will enhance the
cultural and artistic image of Mali. What I’ve just realised
with Mariétou Diabaté and
Lassy (King
Lassy Massassy, NDLR) is just a foretaste of what the Malian artists
can do all together if there’s unity.
Have
you got immediate projects?
Yes, I’ve got a lot of projects but I won’t reveal them
because I’ve noticed that here, when you have a good initiative,
some body will hurry to make it his. Even press don’t escape
from this intellectual piracy. So I prefer to keep my projects in
my mind. I’m going on an international tour for a month in this
beginning of October.
And
the next album?
Maybe between the end of 2004 and the beginning of 2005.
The word of the end?
I like Mali and I love my fans to who I wish a lot of courage to take
part in the development of the country. As long as they will support
me, I’ll be there and I will go on make beautiful melodies for
them. With their support, I will fight for the blooming of Mali. A
patriot doesn’t need any rewarding to serve his country because
he knows that the more he invests himself in it, the more he blossoms.
Interview realised by Moussa Bolly
