“Le point de vue du lion” - a movie by Senegalese rap artist Didier Awadi.
Synopis:
“50 years of independence. They promised us happiness and prosperity. Nowadays young Africans climb into simple wooden boats, they cross the desert and the sea towards Eldorado.” Why? What are the deeper reasons? And how could it come this far? These were the starting questions from director and hip hop star Didier Awadi. For several years he interviewed ex-presidents and ministers, important UN officials, writers, artists, historians, activists and lay migrants and refugees: 44 people who analyse the situation of their continent and they do not mince matters! The result is a decidedly Pan-African, deliberately subjective and revolutionary documentary whose power of impact leaves little to be desired.
“Technically speaking this is no Spielberg or Spike Lee film. Our goal is to bring across a pan-African message. Don’t expect any naive objectivity. Our intention is purely subjective. Our purpose is revolutionary. We stand by this.” Didier Awadi
“African policies are determined from the outside, not by Africans themselves. They should be allowed to express what they think about current policies, colonisation, de-colonisation, foreign military bases on their territory, the colonial currency still used today, questions about migration. We welcome the whole world here, but nobody wants to welcome us anywhere. It is a hypocrisy that we must name, shame and fight against.” Didier Awadi in conversation with Olivier Barlet, Africultures
Against the background of blatant racism the debates surrounding “illegal immigration” and the consequent questions over security are becoming more and more omnipresent in the West. Meanwhile Africans, those mainly affected by this discriminatory practice, hardly react. However, Didier Awadi, did not want to keep quiet. afrik.com
Director
Didier Awadi, rapper, DJ and musician born in Dakar in 1969, is one of the pioneers of the hip hop movement in Senegal and West Africa. After his first group, Didier Awadi’s Syndicate, he founded in 1989 together with Amadou Barry, alias Doug-E-Tee, PBS (Positive Black Soul) and released the album Boul faalé in 1994 with worldwide success. In his three solo albums Kaddu gor (2001), Un autre monde est possible (2005) and Sunugaal (2006) as well as his latest project Président d´Afrique (2010), he reflects on pan-Africanism, advocates greater humanity in international politics and commemorates formative personalities of independent Africa.
The Lion’s Point of View
Director: Didier Awadi
With Abdou Diouf, Amadou Moctar Mbow, Cheikh Hamidou Kane, Aminata Traoré, Téophile Obenga, Amady Aly Dieng, Taoufik Ben Abdalah, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Moussa Dembélé, and many more
SN 2011
Distribution info: africavenir.org
Releases in Oct: Lady May (Namibia), Bantu (Nigeria)
This Oct has been pretty exciting so far with two massive releases on our sub-label Faluma Africa. Earlier we had the stunning Kwaito Queen from Namibia, Lady May with a brand new album called “Tiger Ambition”. The album has many facettes and influences like traditional Namibian sounds, electronic beats, R&B, and Afropop, but all in all it’s basically a raw Kwaito album. You will like it!
Second large hit is the new album by Bantu - a Nigerian-German who is very well-known in Germany on who lives in Lagos, Nigeria since a few years. Since then he brought us one of my all-time favorite album “Fuji Satisfaction”, and now fresh out the studio “No man stands alone”. Like in “Fuji Satisfaction” the album has many intersting collaborations, e.g. with the Highlife legend Fatai Rolling Dollar or the female RnB singer Nneka.
After releasing two artists of that category in one month you might ask “what’s next?”. Well, Carnival season is coming and the focus will go back to the Caribbean. Also our new sub-label TropicalBass is in the pipe.. stay tuned!
Another release on our label Faluma Africa: new album by Namibian’s Kwaito Queen - Lady May. This is the first single from the album Tiger Ambition called “Zoom Zoom (Ndikuhole). Btw. - Ndikuhole means “I love you”.
The album is available this week at all major download sites.
Two videos by Spoek Mathambo
Spoek Mathambo is probably the most hardest working South African artist at the moment. He recently released an album on BBE and an Ep produced by my long-time homie Tim Turbo on the Austrian label Big’n’Hairy.
SPOEK MATHAMBO - WAR ON WORDS from spoek mathambo on Vimeo.
Tim Turbo Ft. Spoek Mathambo & Gnucci Banana - Hush (Iggy, Iggy) from BIG ‘N’ HAIRY RECORDINGS on Vimeo.
Record diggers in Africa: The Scramble for Vinyl
Good article by Chief Boima, a NY-based DJ and cultural activist. It deals with the vinyl diggers, who are looking for rare material in Africa and sometimes compile it to a CD release. Boima says they might do a good job in preserving lost music, but usually they are focused on music which fits in a Western scheme.
The analysis made in the article is correct and was already stated before. It forgets though that a DJ or a record digger is not a cultural institute, they are (usually) theme-oriented collectors. What they do is looking for music that fits in their personal focus.
To preserve the full spectrum of the musical culture of a country is not the primary job of the record digger. I would see it more as a side effect.
(via Akwaaba)
Rare grooves from Africa
Article on SpiegelOnline (in German) about the labels Analog Africa, Soundway and Strut Records who are releasing lost Afrobeat music from the 60s and 70s. Btw here is a funny video where Raymond Dumas tells the story about how he found a guy from the band Afronational after 7 years.
First release on Faluma Africa: Lady May from Namibia
Faluma is focused on Caribbean music, esp. the music of the Caribbean Carnival. Since there are so many interesting artists out there in Africa we had the feeling to set up a new label: Faluma Africa. Beside artists from African we’re looking for interesting music which links Africa and the Caribbean. Lady May is our first artist on Faluma Africa. This extremly talented young artist from Namibia combines many elements in her music, from Kwaito to RnB to Soca/Reggaeton. With her remarkable stage presence she is without a doubt Namibias biggest artist and she is about to jump in the international market now. Check her out!
