By Mohammed Legally-Cole, PV Correspondent, Banjul.
The 1st Sub-regional Youth Music Festival held in The Gambia on the 20th June 2009 ended successfully at the July 22nd Square in Banjul. This event is the first of its kind in The Gambia and West Africa, which attracted youth musicians from Sierra Leone, Mali, Guinea Bissau and The Gambia with a couple of local individuals, national and international artistes and musical dance bands including The Gambian Armed Forces Band ‘Afinjang’, Chameleon Band, Kambeng Band and The Five Star Band.
Youth musicians in the West African sub-region stormed The Gambia with their exciting performances in a fantastic and marvelous talent explosion of individual knowledge and extra-ordinary ability.
The first international artiste to take the stage was Lady Felicia Turay from Sierra Leone who showcased her talents with her powerful voice. Her most exciting performance was blended with a fantastic performance by the Sierra Leonean entertainment dancers presently based in The Gambia, showing their dancing skills with masterpiece body movements of ‘SALONE DANCE’ which came from ‘SALONE MUSIK’, a typical Rumba-like Zouk, which is also a typical Salone-style.
Lady Felicia (top photo)is one of Sierra Leone’s most outstanding and talented performers. She started her music career in 1998 and joined the ‘Ladies Day Out (LDO) in 2003 and later the Sisters With Voice (SWV). She later went solo and released her first solo Album ‘Jesus me Lajor’ in 2005 which became an instant hit in 2006 and ‘Song for Mama’ which also became a hit for 2008. Song for Mama is a praise song for all African mothers and it’s a song that is loved by all mothers in Sierra Leone.
And to date she has released three albums, the latest being ‘One Love’ in 2009. Lady Felicia Turay was produced by JR Production.
She has toured and performed in leading venues in the United Kingdom and the United States of America. She has won many accolades at home and abroad, including the Sierra Leone Music on Television (SLMTV) Awards in 2008. This Award is organised in Maryland, USA. Lady Felicia is presently the president of the Sierra Leone Female Musicians Association and also an Africana celebrity and Africana model and designer.
The Sierra Leonean Community in The Gambia were present in large numbers at the July 22nd Square, to support, dance and sing alongside Lady Felicia who served as musical ambassador to showcase Sierra Leone ’s cultural heritage through music which has been described by pundits as "the international language."
In the press briefing organised by the National Centre for Arts and Culture, at the National Musuem, Lady Felicia said:
“I believe that money is not everything. Africa is our land and there is a lot we can do to change the horrible face of Africa through music. We have to change this face especially when we are listening to the news in the world media, what we hear is ‘Africa-war, Africa-hunger and starvation, Africa-poverty. We’re no longer in that category, we’re pressing forward and are more determined, we, the musicians and the media will make a better change through music and promotion of peace and love, moral support for one another, respect for human dignity, together we can make it, not only through money.”
Anastasio.
The second international artiste to take the stage was Anastasio Alain Kandety from Guinea Bissau. Anastasio is a singer, rapper and a very powerful drummer. His performance was very energetic and unique, and he sang songs ranging from the Bissau Portuguese Creole Salsa-like rap and the popular ‘Funana’ Bissau calypso-style traditional music. These types of music are now making headway in the sub-region from Bissau, Cape Verde, Senegal, Mali and The Gambia. They sometimes blend with hip-hop style music.
Anastasio has won many awards such as ‘Best Drummer’, ‘Best Singer’ in
various local music festrivals. He has a career spanning 12 years and has produced his first album in 2005. He was for two years now the ‘Chart Buster’ in Guinea Bissau. The Alliance Franco Bissao Cultural Centre has recognised him as a leading musical star in Guinea Bissau.
A large crowd of the Bissau Guineans in The Gambia were at the Square to support, sing and dance to the hip-hop ‘Funana’ music done by Anastasio Allain Kandety.
In the press briefing, Anastasio said that “this festival have paved the way for our unity as artistes in the sub-region.”
It was an all night party, and things really warmed up when one of the well known Senegalese hip-hop rappers took the stage. He is very popular in the Senegambian region because of a large community of Senegalese residing in The Gambia and also because of the general local dialect of of both countries – ‘Wolof’.
Pacotille
His name is Sedat Faal, aka ‘Pacotille’, a popular slang word in the streets of Dakar meaning ‘rubbish’. Pacotille is a household name in Senegal rap music, well known for his incisive lyrics. Raised up in Tcharoi, a suburb of Dakar with mixed people with mixed attitudes and very well-known for its ghettos, wranglers, gangsters and drug addicts, Pacotille’s inspiration came at time when Tcharoi needed change. Pacotille’s has insistently called for change in the attitude of the youth in Senegal.
Unlike ‘Fou Malade’, (another powerful and popular Senegalese rap group), Pacotille has carved a niche for himself in the Senegalese rap industry. He has released many albums all of which are hits in the sub-region. Pacotille has performed in many African, European and US cities. He is the ‘King of Senegalese Rap’.
Pacotille’s charismatic performance moved the exuberant crowd at the Square and its all night dancing, singing, rapping by his fans in The Gambia.
In the press briefing Sedat Faal ‘Pacotille’ said:
“This festival has become a realisation for unity and our strength as artistes, as we, the artistes together with the NCAC and UNESCO have achieved something that the policians have failed to to – fostering sub-regional peace and dialogue through music.”
Omar
The event was a pure explosion of talent in West African Youth. That was evident when Oumar Konateh, Malian born guitarist took the stage. The entire crowd can tell the difference through his multi-track talents.
Oumar did his first piece, which is a pure Griotic type combination of French and local languages. He showcased multi-track talents with his acoustic guitar. Unlike Ali Farka Toure, Salif Keita and Mory kante, Oumar Konateh showed explicit extraordinary talent with the acoustic guitar strings in a unique way. Unlike the ‘Kora players’, Oumar Konateh is a marvellous guitar player, music experts say. He studies music at Ecole Nationale des Arts (INA) from 2004 to 2009 in Mali.
He has a wide professional expriences. He is a drummer, singer, bass and solo guitarist with the Gao Ochestra between 1998 to 2001. Oumar is also an arranger, songwriter, singer with other malian groups and has won accolades such as the ‘Best Music Arranger’ and ‘Best Sound Technician’. In 2006, he produced an album called ‘Lahidou’, which he dedicated to the Malian President Toumani Toure.
Oumar’s extraordinary performance with the acoustic guitar and his smooth voice, moved three of the Gambia’s most popular veteran musicians (Abdul Kabir, Musa Affia Ngum and Ousou Njie Senor), who gave him thunderous applause; infact Abdul kabir moved on stage to give some lyrical performance in local languages mixed with English, in a pure classical griotic-style voice.
Oumar has appeared on stage in Guinea, Ivory Coast, Niger, France and Lebanon. The Malian community in The Gambia also cheered, sang, danced and supported him during his performance.
At a press briefing at the National Museum in Banjul, Oumar:
“I started playing the Kora in my early days in my village, Gao, and I also practiced playing guitar which I later found pleasure in, so when I came down to Bamako I decided to do more with the guitar as my favourite. I learnt by heart the strings and later entered the Ecole Nationalle des Arts, and I will be graduating this year with a higher diploma.”
The event became even more interesting when the Gambian veterans, the ‘All Stars’ came on stage with an old piece. This song is called ‘Mandali’. Veteran musicians of yester-years, Ousou Njie Senor, Musa Affia Ngum and Abdul Kabir Lai Ngum showcased that their talents which have not yet faded away.
Their timimg was exceptional, their voices were smooth, thrilling and very marvellous. Musa Affia Ngum is presently based in Senegal as international star and still doing music in a different style. He does Salsa Mbalaax music and his sounds are a force to reckon with in the Senegalese music industry.
Abdul Kabir is still serving as veteran musician and adviser to young artistes in The Gambia. Ousou Njie Senor is founding member of one of Gambia’s most popular bands of yester years commonly known as ‘Super Eagles Band’ and he is presently serving as adviser to youthful musicians in The Gambia.
These veteran musicians were recognised with a standing ovation by the public at the July 22nd Square in Banjul.
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