My friends from We Own TV put together a trailer of footage from their summer workshop in Lungi, Sierra Leone.  When Banker first showed me the beginning clip in his studio, the beauty of the shots and their emotional power gave me the shivers.

While infrastructure development is underway, and stories of returnees from Europe and the US start to surface, I think that this kind of initiative to promote public expression from all sectors of society, will be what truly brings Sierra Leone out of a post-war period, and push it into the thriving prosperous country it has the potential to be.

I was linked to it through Twitter by my friend Banker White last night.  Banker has a great project he’s in the process of starting called We Own TV. Watch an introductory film to the project by Black Nature of the Refugee All Stars.

These kind of development project are really what Sierra Leone needs, but I can’t help but worry in these times of economic downturn if of the money for such projects will be directed in other places.

That reminds me of a project by another Sierra Leonean brother, Lamin over at Dutty Artz.  Check out his recession raps posts and podcast.  While we worry over jobs and future financial security, I wonder what true economic destruction would do to a place like the U.S.

What I see illustrated in the video is that people in the poor parts of Freetown are living on survival mode.  This is the mode akin to what people in the states saw after Katrina, or other natural disasters.  The difference is right now in Freetown, people never get out of survival mode.  Those who are fortunate enough to travel abroad often get a break, but many people live that reality their whole life.  On the flip side in the U.S. often times people never even enter into survival mode.  The interview with Arthur Pratt on the We Own TV he says that if people enter into theater (or another artistic expression) they start to think about life more deeply.  It takes them out of survival mode.

Another development project that interests me greatly is the eco-tourism illustrated on Banana Islands.  My ancestral homeland is Bonthe district, and my father was born on Sherbro Island in Bonthe town.  That area was hit hard by the war, but I would love to go there and do work in that part of the provinces.  There are plans for the building of an airport making it prime for that kind of eco-tourism and a deep history that would lend it to the kind of opportunities afforded on Gorre Island.  Cultural expression, environmental clean up, hey let’s get some green energy in there and jobs that pay wages, health care and education soon behind.  All this talk about stimulus packages in the U.S. just keeps me wondering about Sierra Leone.

Lastly check out my post over at Ghetto Bassquake on Sierra Leone’s Bubu music.  Let’s increase the visibility of issues in Sierra Leone and poor communities around the world.  Interest leads to investment.

Now let’s celebrate! Thursday night at the 2nd The Highlife Party.  And really in the spirit of this time, this is The High Life!  This time with guests DJ Sogui So Good, Sierra Leonean Reggae Singer Khady Black and the residents Chief Boima and Shawn Dub.  Artist Susu Attar will be projecting videos.  Located at the Tunnel Top 601 Bush Street in SF.  Obama songs throughout the night!

Big ups to Rachel Emmet for creating an English language Coupe Decale Wikipedia article. And putting out the challenge to the Anglo-phones to spread real knowledge about Coupe Decale. A trailer for an upcoming documentary on the subject was sent to Ghetto Bassquake.

I wanted to point to those and respond to Rachel‘s request with some ideas of my own.

I saw a great slide show on the contemporary politics of Ivory Coast, especially in it’s current stand off and recent civil war. I can’t embed it so watch it here. Originally posted here.

Central to the conflict in that country is a sense of nationality and unity, and Ivorianity. I don’t know if you all remember but during the last World Cup when Ivory Coast was competing, people kept talking about how the team’s success was going to unite the North and the South of the country. I remember even getting angry at the Netherlands when they knocked the Ivory Coast out of the running, thinking how can these Europeans feel happy when so much is at stake for the Africans?

Perhaps I took it too personally. The Sierra Leone/Liberia/Ivory Coast/Guinea instability/civil war saga has been going on for over twenty years now, (even though it has roots in hundreds of years of history) and it was inspirational to see that Les Elephants could help change people’s minds about wanting to fight. Football/Soccer is so important for a country’s self esteem. It is a way to momentarily forget the pain of being on the losing end of history, but yet in defeat can remind one of all those scars. Perhaps the ups and downs on the football field are therapeutic and can help heal the wounds by reminding us that they’re there and to not neglect them. Read blogger Nasratha’s account of the feelings the World Cup qualifying defeat of Sierra Leone by Nigeria provokes in her.

Matt at Benn Loxo hinted a connection to the war, the World Cup team, and Coupe Decale back then. I have also definitely seen a connection in videos of Didier Drogba with the Jet Set at a Parisian club. But, beyond the image of money and style that go along with that, what I think needs to be paid attention is the fact that this music is something that is considered Ivorian, and since that was central to the conflict, it’s role in the overall history can’t be ignored. When your in a room of people dancing to this music, especially in unison, it is so uplifting that I could never describe it in words. I can imagine that it adds to that sense of pride in nationhood and potentially helped serve in uniting Ivorians under a common identity.

The question “what is Ivorian?” in music, is something that goes back to the Soukous invasion of the 70′s in Abidjan. Back then, besides Paris, Abdijan was the center for the French-African recording industry. Many great Congolese Soukous bands were formed and recorded in the Ivory Coast. According article at Afropop.org, that I’ve referenced before, there was a fear that Abidjan, being such an international epicenter was loosing its sense of what it means to be Ivorian, whatever that meant. Zouglou, an influence and precursor to Coupe Decale was something that came out of this environment and was something that was homegrown and strictly Ivorian that locals could be proud of. When Coupe Decale came along, during the conflict years, it was something that even some of the “foreign” northerners contributed to and call their own. I believe that Ivorians know that this is their music. When I was in Dakar, people made sure I knew that it was.

I can’t say I’m an expert on the music. Every time I play with Marco at Little Baobab he schools me a little more on artists and lyrics and dance moves. It inspires me. I understand it without trying too hard. It echoes my own desires to participate, innovate, and succeed in the modern global community we are all forming. It is a conversation between worlds defined by wealth and lack there of. It is speaking a European language and not your ancestor’s tongue. It is the desire to create an identity in a place that sees you or your family as strange, even unwelcome. It is everything that U.S. hip hop was, and in some places still is. And just like hip hop, it is spreading globally.

It’s still bigger than hip hop though, and it’s still bigger than Coupe Decale. What we want and what we should be concerned about is Africa.

We wan see Africa rise!

It seems a good time to finally post on a connection that I had made, which may be superficial, but remains an exciting discovery for me to make.

The past couple Sierra Leone parties/events that I’ve been to, I noticed a fast, double-timed drum music, programmed on synthesizers, that for some reason I’ve been associating with the Mende, but I can’t quite remember why. Always wanting to represent for my own people, and add an African perspective to the electronic global conversation, I’ve been trying to chase down recordings of this music but haven’t been able to find the ones I’ve hear at the parties. Next time I’m home, I’m going to track it down. Here’s a video of a Salone party where they play it at 1:00 minute.

Sierra Leone/Gambia Party

Anyway, back SF Carnaval weekend, I was djing with DJ Rajah at Bollyhood Cafe in SF, and I came out of the bathroom and he was playing a music that sounded just like that Mende music. I ran up to Rajah and asked where he got that! He told me it was from the Dominican Republic, and later he emailed me some tracks. I guess it was GaGa that he was playing?

Well take a listen for yourself. Are you hearing any similarities?

Here’s a Dadday Saj video of Mende music

Here’s a parade during Semana Santa(?) in Boca Chica

A track from Sierra Leone:

Refugee Allstars-Pat Malonthone

And a Merengue (or Mambo?) track from Republica Dominicana:

Banda Gorda-No Se Acaba el Mambo

I’ve been hearing similarities in other musics like Mbalax as well. Expect a mix soon! Plus, if any Sierra Leoneans come across this post and know where to get this music let me know!