With an increasing number of reggae bars on the Ivory Coast, the musical influence looks set to provide hope in the country’s progression towards peace.
In the Ivory Coast, violent conflict between the New Forces rebels and President Gbagbo has been part of daily life ever since the breakdown of peace agreements in 2004.
However, it now appears that reggae, one of the unifying areas of Ivorian life before internal conflict began in the 1990s, is providing the soundtrack for change in the nation’s political climate.
The contemporary reggae stars of the country are continuing the trend set by Alpha Blondy, an Ivorian star who revolutionised the genre in the 1980s with his lyrical responses to both domestic and international social problems.
Francis Konian, producer and music specialist, explained: “In the 1980s Alpha Blondy turns up, who is a sort of Bob Marley, but ours!”
Reggae is the music of the Ivory Coast, yet as the country is split between the New Rebels and President Gbagbo’s camp, so too is the reggae scene.
The anti-Gbagbo artist Tiken Jah openly supports the rebels, whilst Serges Kassi, one of Gbagbo’s leading militants, promotes the establishment.
Tiken Jah has lived and worked in self-imposed exile in Mali for years.
However, a duet with pro-Gbagbo artist Beta Simon, called Ma Cote d’Ivoire – my Ivory Coast, was released recently, and a concert alongside Serges Kassi is planned for the near future in Abidjan, the largest city and former capital of the Ivory Coast.
