He is one of the precursors of freedom of artistic expression towards the end of the 1980s, therefore of the advent of democracy in March 1990. Actor, author and famous director, Ousmane Sow bowed out on the 19th September 2024 following a long illness. On Saturday September 21, in a very rainy morning, he was accompanied to his final resting place at the Lafiabougou cemetery by a crowd of relatives, theater professionals, cultural actors, admirers and anonymous people. The last act for the man who is rightly considered the precursor of committed theater in Mali.
«You were» ! Like an unpinned grenade thrown to open the way for the commando (actors of the democratic movement), it is a play which indisputably opened a breach in the fortress of the dictatorship which reigned over Mali for 23 years (November 19, 1968 -March 26, 1991). Which means that this work is forever engraved in the memory of the Malian people as an artistic creation which, at the time, contributed greatly to the awakening of consciences. Above all, it embodies the courage of the author, the director and the performers.
Indeed, as a colleague once wrote, “no one could think of in the time of the dictatorship daring to write such a theatrical piece. Even less imagine performing it on stage» and moreover in front of the President of the Republic who thus saw the dark sides of his regime. But, they took the measured risk “to display with words the evils of the reigning dictatorship before the General President and the whole country» ! This courage and this exceptional audacity forever characterize the entire work as well as the life of Ousmane Sow, this sacred monster of the theater who disappeared from the stage of life on September 19, 2024 following a long illness.
«When we played Wari, it was a revolution. Some even say that it was Wari who made General Moussa Traoré leave (may he rest in peace). And all the more so because in this theater, the audience understood what we meant at the time. All the misdeeds of politics and dictatorship on society were denounced in this theater. We couldn’t do better than that“, he confided to a colleague in an interview in 2015.
«It was when I played Wari that I recognized my educational experience. Wari was a piece in which we found languages specific to our society. There were poems in Bamanan that were very evocative. It is around these poems that I built this piece. I wrote the framework, there were very evocative poems that I slipped in», revealed the director in the interview mentioned above. Above all, we will forever remember that, in the 1980s, a group of actors distinguished themselves by an atypical adaptation of the traditional kotéba to the demands of the modern stage. Formerly, it was a traditional form of social satire played in burlesque mode in the villages of the Mandingo area with a significant part of improvisation.
An artistic movement that opened the door to the advent of democracy in Mali
But, under the leadership and ingenious inspiration of Ousmane Sow, these young and very ambitious actors launched an artistic movement which played a major role in raising awareness in Mali at the time. “My ambition was to write a play for the fishmonger, for the carpenter… for those who understand nothing in French, therefore a play adapted to the reality of our society. When there is not a clear message transmitted in a theater, the play does not play its role», had specified the eminent and late man of culture.
Director of the National Kotéba of Mali, Ousmane Sow will forever be famous for his productions. Even if he wanted this not to overshadow his career as an actor. “Author, director, yes I am. But, even if it is rarely emphasized, I was an actor because I graduated from the National Institute of Arts (INA)”, often recalled the illustrious deceased in his interviews with the press. It is easy to understand that it is his career as an author and director that always attracts the attention of the public and critics because his works have always marked their era. Who does not indeed remember “tie it up», «Bogodjeninen right», «Dougouba», «Féréké Niamibougou», «The Grin», «Badjenè” Above all “Bougouniéré» et «You were» ?
Works which have most often met with phenomenal success, conferring great notoriety to those who did not consider themselves to be “reference» despite the time spent on the board. Listening to him often, it was chance that led him to the theater which was not necessarily his passion. “I think I was chosen by the theater because, at no time in my life, had I thought that I would be a man of the theater. It was by chance that I arrived at the INA which I did not even choose after the DEF“, he often admitted in his interviews.
However, he will be the one who will revolutionize the 6th art in Mali by becoming the precursor of committed theater like traditional kotéba. Before this revolution, theater was conveyed by the French language, therefore almost reserved for an elite. “This is how we encountered the kotéba on our way, a traditional theater which lay in the depths of our culture. And the kotéba brought back the audience who, for once, understood what we were saying. It was a success, the rooms were full“, confided O. Sow to a colleague from “The Reporter» during an interview (May 2015).
An illustrious artist who reveals himself in “Forty Little Years of Theater”!
«With kotéba, dance, song and music are congenitally linked to the text. What we won’t see in Western theater», continues the famous director, hastening to add a downside. “Subsequently, he (baby) did not respond to the aspirations of the creators, including me, because the language which is Bambara attracted apprentice sorcerers, people who are not theater“, he confided to our colleagues at “The Report» in May 2015. And to continue, «we had not taken language as a dramaturgical material. We have not discovered that kotéba could go beyond the language to go to the metalanguage, to writing, to the metaphor which are nevertheless the specific characteristics of our language. This is what meant that years later, when the kotéba itself remained from the village to the contemporary scene or even when the kotéba ignored the new public, it fell into disuse.».
Like any immense talent, Ousmane Sow did not like to talk about himself. Modesty and humility are required. “When it comes to talking about myself, I always lose my composure out of humility or modesty… I am the first to be surprised by the success that my pieces can have. Even if I step back from my works, it is difficult for me to praise them. So I let the public appreciate them, say what they think of them“. Otherwise, the sacred monster of the theater could not say, “I am a big» ! He humbly left this choice to the public, to the critics… who have a “certain idea of my work, of my work”. For this man of conviction, “a creator does not know what he is, what he is worth».
Most often avoiding talking about himself, the success of his theatrical works, the late Ousmane Sow literally opened up in his book, “Forty short years of theater» by Ousmane Sow (2020/La Sahelienne). “The years passed… I was no longer the beginner that destiny had thrown into the arms of the theater, into the mouth of the monster I was going to say. Theater and my life merged, became one. I held on. I bent, but did not break. I was no longer going back. I had reached the point of no return. I moved forward and hoisted myself onto the pedestal, peering condescendingly at the environment hostile to my profession.», We can read in this book. This is quite revealing of the message conveyed by the author through this work in which he describes above all the difficult marriage of a man with a profession for which he did not keep “no love».
«This book is first of all the restitution of the history of Malian theater which has experienced many upheavals, adventures… This theater was not forged in a day. There were many steps. First, the national theater company which was created by Abdoulaye Diarra in 1970. An actor who, after leaving the INA, was able to bring together all his friends around him to set up the national theater company. A French-speaking theater“, he recalled. And to continue, “the dramatic group comes after the Malian company. It was at the creation of the national theater that there were groups such as the National Ballet, the National Instrumental Ensemble, the national BADEMA and the Dramatic Group which only dealt with French-speaking theater».
Unanimous recognition from peers and the public
«The kotéba came after the Dramatic Group whose first play was Tiètemalo. The kotéba spoke of artists and actors as if it were a minor art. The actor was seen as someone who performed theater in everyday language. It was from this time that we became aware that we were really opening up to the public whereas until then, we only had students, scholars, as our audience. After Tiètemalo, we saw the enthusiasm of the public and we started to produce plays in Bamanan“, he clarified in an interview about his book.
Since the announcement of the disappearance of this “Monument of Writing», the testimonies of his colleagues come from everywhere. The Minister of Crafts, Culture, Ind. Hospitality and Tourism paid tribute to the Officer of the National Order as “an icon of Malian cinema and theater» which contributed to the training of several great figures of the 6th and 7th arts in our country. “Promoting a theater of Malian expression was the fight of his whole life… The lines he drew and his works of great value will continue to inspire entire generations,” testified Minister Andogoly Guindo.
«Witness to the work you have done to show the public the riches of Malian and African cultural heritage, I award you this testimony of satisfaction posthumously for services rendered to the nation for the defense of our most precious asset: our culture», testified Boubacar Sidibé who had the chance to direct the 40 episodes of the comedy “Let’s go» written by maestro Ousmane Sow. A testimony which partly summarizes the tributes paid to Ousmane Sow since that fateful September 19, 2024.
For having given everything to the artistic scene in Mali and revolutionizing Malian theater, Ousmane did not live in vain. He was an important player in the history of Malian art. The illustrious deceased will forever remain a “Grand» artist engaged through his theatrical plays and whose talent has “makes our ordinary lives a great social fresco“. To his heirs like Adama Traoré, Habib Dembélé “Guimba National», Alioune Ifra Ndiaye… to spare nothing so that the torch remains raised very high.
It goes in paix Master!
Moussa Bolly
Source: Le Matinal
Tags: Adama Traoré Alioune Ifra NDiaye Andogoly Guindodefdu MaliHabib Dembéléle Mali
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