NNo one is a prophet in his country? Really ? However, what we saw last night at the Champagne theater can raise doubts. The great sage – in both senses of the term – played the prophet in our country. He would probably not like people to say that, he who demands with body, shouts and songs, « open the borders, open the borders ». Our country was his country, he made his country ours more than the other way around. What energy, what joviality, what optimism, what lifting of legs too. His graying goatee betrayed the passing of time, but his rapid and controlled movements ultimately conveyed the opposite.
He sings, they all sing
With his “council” of musicians in traditional clothing, with instruments too (the balafon, magnificent), with his own colorful, joyful, explosive, sunny outfit, in his image, he transported an audience already fully committed to his cause. This is the first time this week that we have witnessed such an explosion of joy, the public knows everything by heart and they are far from all being African or of origin, quite the contrary.
But his message, for almost four decades, has not aged a bit. Unfortunately, one could say. When twenty years ago, he sang of oppression, American supremacy, the jet lag of the African who landed in Paris, the control of States over others: all of this unfortunately turns out to be very current, very modern . « But it's important to talk about it so our grandchildren know what happened ».
“In this world where morality is no longer capital”
Some fights are eternal, the career of Tiken Jah Fakoly, the herald of Ivorian reggae, will be proportionately so. « Nothing surprises me anymore »since time we have wanted to believe it. Still, his struggles, these fights, are the salt of his inspiration, the honey of his unifying side. « Everyone wants heaven but no one wants to pay the price » : it's in the songs, in the texts, serious on paper but which he makes deliciously sweet, that he fights, that he fights. His weapons are his words, he places them at the feet of his audience, « in this world where morality is no longer essential ».
The freedom to move, to dance, to sing, to shout, to take photos, videos, this is not trivial during a concert and it reflects a great generosity of the artist. Add to that the fact of not having to validate the photo that will accompany the article, of not fearing not being at your best, it's even less trivial, it's in the image of the character. Sir ! THANKS !
