Lassy
King Massassy
“The strong man of the regime”, as he’s affectionately
called by the brilliant animator of the Malian hip hop Bradox, arrived
in Bamako last week after some concert he gave in France. King
gives us here his position concerning the struggle against piracy
and his projects…
Mag:
Why have you been in France?
King: I went in France to make some concerts with Cheick
Tidiane Seck at the New Morning. You should know that anytime
you make a planning for a tour, you have dates that are confirmed
and others that are disproved as the tour goes on. I managed to make
the concert of the New Morning as it was planned and two other ones
with Cheick Tidiane Seck and the bass
player Herbie Hancock. I also took part
in the festival “musique des villes du monde” with several
French and African bands among which Dara J
from Senegal. I also took advantage of my Parisian stay to make some
promotion.
how
does "Niokala So" evolve?
I think not bad. The album isn’t on sale yet in Europe, the
promotion matched up to our expectations and we hope that the sales
will as good.
What
about the sales in Mali?
Despite piracy, I must say that I’m satisfied by the sales.
We can’t say yet that the sales exceeded our hopes. Mali K7
is doing the maximum but I confess that pirates are spoiling our life.
Pirates
are spoiling your life but what do the artists are doing to fight
piracy in Mali?
It took a long time before we understand that the struggle against
piracy wasn’t only the struggle of the producers and distributors.
We are organising to retort. We have been naïve during a time
but now, it’s time to move.
Concretely,
what is you strategy?
The days of reflection on piracy of the literary and artistic works
ended a few days ago. Some resolutions have been made to dam up the
phenomena particularly the creation of special brigades to struggle
against piracy. We have the support of the minister Cheick Tidiane
Seck; we’ll play our role but the justice also has to play its
role.
Since
a few times, there are rumours about your dedication concert? Can
you say something about it?
Niokala So was released during the raining season so we decided to
wait the end of this season to make the concert. Before going to France,
I constituted a organisation comity which made the prospection on
the site; the concert will take place on December 6th, at the stadium
Mamadou Konaté.
Who
are the artists invited to this show?
The list is still opened and people are still manifesting their desire
to take part in my concert. That’s great. I can confirm you
the participation of Tata
Pound, Diata Sya,
Fanga Fing, Zion
B, Magic Black
Men, Maiker B, Jolie,
Djénèba Diakité,
Nabintou Diakité, and Doudou
Soul…
The great innovation of this concert will be the tombola on the entry
tickets. Each people who will pay a ticket to enter the concert will
have the possibility to won a Jakarta (motorbike) or a mobile phone.
Our ambition is to stake one Jakarta and three or four mobile phones.
If other sponsors are available before the day, the public will be
spoilt with gift. The cost of the ticket will be 2.500 FCFA (3,81€).
The public will also have the possibility to buy tapes of CDs. We
have an album “special dedication” that will be on sale
only at the stadium the day of the concert. The particularity of this
album is that there is a track on it which is not on the album presently
on sale.
The
stadium Mamadou Konaté huge, have you got a good sound system?
We have no problem for that. Every thing will be perfect on December
6th, 2003. We won’t toy with the sound and the light because
a spectacle is a whole.
I
hope I’ll meet you with this show. What is your word of the
end?
I’m doing my best to make of this show a success. It’s
also a way for me to say “sanbè sanbè” (happy
new year) for the feast of the Ramadan and for the New Year 2004.
I hope that this concert will be an ambiance “Babayo”.
Thank you.
MBD Production wants to end the year
in beauty
Awaiting the release of Coumba Sira Koita
planned for the first trimester of 2004; MBD Production wants to end
the year in beauty. Since a few days, the radios of Bamako have chosen
the caressing voice of the young but talented Aicha
Kouyaté.
Aicha Kouyaté, Aicha
Pouloh is the daughter of Baba Coulibaly
and she has no complex, she decided to follow the path her mother
has already traced. Even if MBD Production doesn’t give the
dates of release of its products, every thing seems to show that the
albums will be on sale before the end of the year. The revelation
will certainly come from the band Ankata.
Their music is inspired from the one of the hunter.
Habib
Koité in concert at the CCF (French cultural centre)
After their tour in Australia, Habib
Koité and his band will be on concert at the French cultural
centre of Bamako (CCF) on Saturday, the 29th of November 2003. The
first performance is planned for 16 o’clock for children and
the second one, the same day at 21 o’clock for the grown-up.
One can book a seat at the CCF, seats are limited.
