IVORIAN ICONIC SINGER DEFENDS SAHEL REVOLUTIONS

Meet Aicha Kone, a 67-year-old singer from the Ivory Coast who is making music to support the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). With a career spanning decades, Kone came to the spotlight in the 1970s, singing about political freedom for Africa. Her latest song, released in late August, applauds the revolutionary military governments in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, landlocked countries in Africa’s arid Sahel region, south of the Sahara Desert.

She has met Niger’s president, General Abdourahamane Tiani and Burkina Faso’s president, Ibrahim Traoré, lauding their ‘courage to stand up and say loud and clear that they want to take their destiny into their own hands.’ Drawing inspiration from the greats, such as South African singer Miriam Makeba (1932-2008), she calls for economic freedom, with lyrics like ‘I want my oil, I want my diamond, I want my gold,’ and ‘Fama [Malian Armed Forces], strength to you!’

With the commercialisation of African culture at the expense of its radicality, such as in the case of music genres such as Amapiano and Afrobeats, Kone’s work invites the masses to resurrect the legacy of the greats such as Makeba and Nigerian musician Fela Kuti (1938-97). Indeed, music is an integral part of revolution.

Have a watch, and let us know what you think.