Senegalese artist Baaba Maal, known for his discography and his participation in the soundtrack of the Hollywood film Black Panther, performs on stage in his hometown of Podor. The artist organizes a music festival there called Les Blues du Fleuve.
This year the event celebrates its 16th edition in the landlocked town of 15,000 inhabitants. Podor is located on the border with Mauritania on an island in the middle of the Senegal River.
“I said to myself we had to have a festival that will leave Dakar and come and settle in a region like the river region. But above all it is also the name of the Les Blues du rivière festival. I would like that on a musical level , that people realize that everything that is done in the whole world in terms of music comes from Africa”, declared Baaba Maal, Senegalese artist and founder of the Blues du Fleuve festival.
For three days, the festival program highlights local heritage with artists discovered during traditional ceremonies in the Fouta Toro region.
This is particularly the case for members of the sinner family the DIA brothers who play accompanied by their wives and children during family ceremonies.
“We are the musical group the DIA Brothers, I am Demma Dia and those who play alongside me are Yero Dia, Baudi Dia, Sileye Dia, we are a drum major family”, Demma explained.
The annual festival is only a small part of Baaba Maal’s commitments in the region: “These festivities would be an opportunity to pinpoint opportunities in terms of development. Because when we come, we realize by looking from both sides that agriculture can really flourish here. And all this is an engine of development”, indicated the artist and founder of Des Blues du Fleuve.
The artist also finances the Nann.KA rural development project.
“NANN.KA’s concern is really to strengthen agriculture and above all to support women and young people so that they can really understand that everything, everything, we can earn everything here, without leaving our country”, said Mamadou Babacar Diop, coordinator of the Nann Ka rural development project.
The festival excited the inhabitants of Podor and brought together nearly 6,000 spectators according to the organizers of this edition.
