After 13 years of absence from a Montreal scene, the emblematic singer of Wassouloue culture Oumou Sangaré returns to offer songs from her most recent album, Timbuktu (2022), on which “we feel the musician who has traveled for 34 years”, summarizes the Malian author, composer, performer and entrepreneur, who could not help but talk about politics with The dutyeven if those around him asked us to avoid the subject.
Thirteen years since your last concert with us? You have neglected us, Madam! ” But no ! she retorts, laughing. I would never neglect my Canadian audience, who have supported me since the beginning of my international career, which began when she was only 21 years old. “In the 1990s,” she continues, “I came to Canada regularly,” the young musician with a strong, clear voice singing the melodies of the Wassoulou people, a region of West Africa with Yanfolila as its unofficial capital, some 250 kilometers from Bamako.
This is where Oumou Sangaré organizes the International Wassoulou Festival (FIWA), the seventh edition of which took place from February 29 to March 2. “And it’s tiring! she whispers. We welcome 460,000 people in three days, because Wassoulou is a crossroads, forming a border with Mali, Guinea Conakry and Ivory Coast. So people come, by bike from Guinea, by motorbike from Mali, by car from the Ivory Coast, and it becomes a colossal, unforgettable party. »
“And this festival that I organize with the Wassouloue youth is free,” she continues; At the beginning, it was myself who put my hand in my pocket to finance the event. So, at the end of the festival, I’m exhausted. Go and rest in France? Not possible, too many fans. In the United States, it’s okay, I can go unnoticed. So I came here to take two weeks off! » she jokes.
A vacation, during which she gave 17 concerts, all the more anticipated as the Malian was showered with praise at the release of Timbuktu, his ninth career album. Produced by Frenchman Pascal Danaë, from the group Delgres, the album offers Oumou Sangaré the opportunity to “refresh my music. Because the world is changing, eh! We must walk with the world, while being careful to preserve our culture, so as not to lose it completely. But we must not stand still”, giving here an electric blues breath to the wassoulou rhythmic baggage.
Represent
A timely breath, the last decade having seen these grooves from the Sahel, embodied by Bombino, Mdou Moctar, Tinariwen, musical cousins of the Wassoulous sound that Oumou Sangaré has defended for more than three decades. That’s without counting on the Afrobeats surge, its prestigious list of new pop stars, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Tems, Davido, Ayra Starr, Yemi Alade…
“And Aya Nakamura — don’t forget my daughter!” » exclaims Oumou Sangaré. But Madam, shouldn’t we avoid political subjects? The controversy surrounding the alleged performance of the Franco-Malian star during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games is far from over! “But she is the most listened to French artist in the world! »
“I don’t like politics, it’s true, I’m apolitical,” adds the musician, aware that beyond this controversy brought about by the French extreme right there is also the question of the delicate diplomatic relationship between Mali and France, which withdrew its military troops there in the summer of 2022.
“Mali is not seeking confrontation, the country is seeking its autonomy. And he is looking for a partnership [avec la France] win-win. And the fact that she is going to represent France at this ceremony is a great gesture, although she already represents it, through her music, all over the world,” notes Oumou Sangaré, who, last month, was named Officer of arts and letters by the French Republic. “France once again shows its attachment to Malian culture, and I congratulate it. Aya Nakamura represents France with dignity. »
The Pearl
“My fight, my rhythm, is that of Wassoulou; everything else is added to this rhythm,” says Oumou Sangaré. A festive rhythm often, but also serious on this recent album whose title is the name of an ancestral city nicknamed the Pearl of the Desert, classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. “If I had to describe it to you, it is a marvel erected in the middle of the desert. The unique architecture, all in floors. Everything is sand, but it’s a paradise on earth, everything is so pretty. Ah yes, Timbuktu, it’s the wonder of the desert…”
Oumou Sangaré looks at the ceiling while pronouncing this last sentence, in a melancholy tone. Its pearl, today, is the scene of armed clashes which terrorize the population. “It’s emotional for me to sing about this city, with everything my country is going through right now. » Still shaken by a coup d’état in 2020, the Malian people hoped that the transition period would lead to presidential elections, initially announced for March 2024; on April 10, the authorities in power “suspended” the “activities of political parties and political activities of associations”, pushing back the electoral calendar even further.
“Timbuktu was ransacked by jihadists, the beautiful mausoleums destroyed, it makes me want to shout for what we did to this beautiful historic city. All our landmarks are being destroyed. For me, singing these songs is a way of trying to bring relief to these magnificent people who have lived in the desert, and in quiet peace, for centuries. »