"TIGNE" OF DJENEBA SECK
The return of the diva "sermonizer"

With 30 000 specimens sold the day of its release (Thursday September 9), "Tignè" of Djénéba Seck will easily equalize or even beat all the records of sale (music) in Mali. This 4th album (without counting the singles of the can "Tunis 1994" and "Mali 2002") marks the great return of sermonizer of the Malian music.

"Faith is impossible to circumvent in a human life and work. I was born in a Moslem family. The faith rocked my childhood, my youth and it allowed me to surmount many difficulties in my career ", answers the artist. She thus reacts to the admiration that the great preacher Shérif Ousmane Madani Haïdara has for her. For him, the songs of Djénéba Seck are a sum-up of his sermons, a religious wisdom.
And Tignè does not derogate to this musical tradition of sermon in the work of Djénéba Seck. This album of twelve titles produced by Syllart Production and distributed by Mali K7, conveys three messages: the religion, the homeland and the marriage. In "Nitèkè nela", the native of Bamako invites the women to pull themselves together, to not let themselves distract by feminist messages which have no connection with our sociocultural realities. "Women must live the emancipation in another manner and think that the woman can not be the equal of the man. I am for the suppression of socio-professional discriminations, but that should not mean that our sisters impress their husband ", she defends.
Very preservative, she adds, "believing themselves really emancipated, women transformed the marriage into a dress: ample and pleasant to wear when they wish it, and the same dress becomes a strait jacket when they want to get rid of it. The marriage is very important in a society, in a community. Nobody can humiliate a woman who yields to the marital constraints, respects her husband and defends the honour and the dignity of her family. The submission and obedience are neither pejorative nor degrading in our society. They make the luck of the great ladies and the great men like Soundiata Kéita, etc ".
The piety of Djènè is equal to her patriotism. "I love my country and I would not spare any sacrifice to convey his good image", said the author-interprets of "Anka Maliba". Just like "Kankelentigiya", which became the anthem of the Malian democracy at her beginnings. "The democracy changed much thing in Mali. Bamako, for example, literally and agreeably changed of face. The country became an immense building site of socio-economic development. The other advantage of democracy is that nobody imposes us our leaders. That’s why I tell the citizens, in Anka Maliba (our fatherland), to profit by the elections to elect honest and responsible people. Because we cannot only blame ourselves if we elect people who are concerned only with their pockets instead of managing our real problems ", affirms the artist.
As it is seen, Tignè, "the triumph of the truth is a faster stallion than lie", marks the great return of courageous sermonizer. A sumptuous come-back five years after the release of Djourou, the first masterpiece of Sékou Kouyaté’s wife. "It is true that put I took some time between the two albums. But, my fans were not severed. Djourou had a great and long success. I thus had no reason to precipitate to release an album when the last one was still very well sold", explains Djènè. She recognizes that "Djourou allowed me to consolidate my place on the Malian musical scene. It increased the circle of my fans and allowed me new relations ".
Unfortunately, this happiness had no financial repercussion. "One month after its release, Mali K7 which was in charge of its distribution was closed, victim of the pirates. That caused an interruption of supply of the market. The pirates took advantage of it to flood the market of counterfeited products. The loss was colossal. Fortunately, the success of the album allowed me to make several tours in Mali and abroad ", she remembers.
Piracy! Here is a plague which evocation makes Djénéba Seck shiver. "I fear that Tignè is victim of its success", she worries. Facing the threat, she does not hide her powerlessness. She even beseeches the pirates. "Have mercy, do not pirate this cassette. It’s a prayer! Give me the chance to finally build something with the fruits of my talent and my efforts. In another country, I would have been so rich thanks to the success of my albums. But, I am condemned to survival because of the pirates ", she said, offended.
In all her works, Djénéba fully justified her position at the top of the national hit-parade because she draws her inspiration in the daily life of her fellow-citizens. With Tignè, she has only one dream: to open largely the doors of the international show biz. "It is true that I have animated concerts in Europe. But, I did not yet have the chance to have world tours like Oumou Sangaré, Rokia Traoré, and Habib Koité… I hope that this new album will enable me to carry out this dream", she underlines.
And that starts well because Djènè will be in concert on September 18 in Paris. And she is invited by the young Malians of Ivory Coast to animate the celebration of the 44th birthday of the independence of Mali, on September 22. With her wise philosophy of life, her sumptuous voice and the perfect control of her art, the aspiration of Djénéba Seck to a place of choice in the international show biz is more than legitimate. In any case "Tignè" promises and a national and sub regional tour is already being set up and will allow the artist to share her hopes with all those who have the same ideal of a best society. Good luck Djéné.

IN STUDIO
Djélimady Tounkara, the charismatic leader of the Rail Band, the exceptional guitarist has just ended the recording of his next album at the studio Bogolan. An album of 12 titles which will be released at the end of 2004 by Marabi. Marabi is a French label that the Artistic Director of the festival métisse of Angoulême, Christian Musset, has just launched. It should be noted that the last album of Bembeya Jazz of Guinea was also produced by his label.
In addition to Djélimady Tounkara, Boubacar Traoré "Kar Kar" is also in studio for the production of his next opus, always under Marabi’s rule. A new production which associate several talents of the Malian and French music among which Yoro Diallo and Vincent Boucher. This opus will be released during February 2005.

ON TOUR
Lobi Traoré, the Bamanan bluesman as he’s called besides the Atlantic is repeating for his European and American tour envisaged for next autumn. Lobi who will be accompanied by his group intends to put all the assets by his side for the promotion of his album compilation which is already on sale.
The Lady of the Beledougou and his group will begin a European tour. It is in prelude to this tour that her musicians will leave Bamako in the weekend for some sessions of repetition before starting the tour.

In Concert
Under the aegis of the Ministry of the culture, the group Nèba Solo and Babani left for Korea. The two formations will represent Mali at the international festival that Korea organizes. Let us announce finally that the Malian delegation is led by the Minister of the culture Cheick Oumar Sissoko.

In Mourning
We learned with a deep affliction the death of Lassy King Massassy’s father. In the name of the Editorial Staff of the Mag, of all the personnel of Malik7 and of the whole cultural operators, we present our sincere condolences to King Babayo and his family. God rest his soul.