Adeba Konan, Ivorian artist: “I mix folklore with DJ beats, so everyone can find themselves in my music.”

Baoulé is perhaps the word Adeba Konan uses most often in this interview, which takes place on the shores of the Ebrié lagoon in Abidjan, hours before her first performance on the main stage of the Anoumabo Urban Music Festival (FEMUA), a gathering of artists from across the region, last April.

Adeba Konan is one of the greatest representatives of an Ivorian music called tradi-modern . And Baoulé is the name of his ethnic group of origin, his language and his culture. He is 43 years old and has a career spanning just over two decades, most of which has been spent in the interior of the country, far from the Abidjan showbiz , already so populated by urban rhythms (the coupé decalé , the zouglou, the hip hop) and international fusion. It comes from Yamoussoukro, the Ivorian administrative capital, a small town where the folklore of local peoples is preserved.

When he talks about his career, he says his first artistic foray was as a goli dancer, the traditional dance of his town. Dancing wasn't enough for him, so he started playing instruments, singing, and releasing albums (in 2008, 2012, and 2019). His single , Ôtobé-Ôtobé , released three years ago, is the song that brought him to the general public and has become "the country's national anthem," in his own words.

The traditional-modern has led him to collaborate with a glam star like Reine Ablaa and other DJs of the current scene, and to sing in French, English and Baoulé.

Question: What do you talk about in your songs?

Answer: Perhaps the message they contain is the reason why everyone has liked them. What I'm saying is never to rush in life, that everything comes in its own time, because God doesn't forget his children. For example, if someone has built a house today that you don't have yet, be patient. One day it will come for you. Death and sickness will also find you, or wealth. Everything on this earth comes in its own time.

Q. You also mention certain contemporary social problems.

A. I talk about suffering, like that of women who suffer domestic violence. And of orphans, of street children. I talk about health and fight against drug use. There are songs I send to politicians, who must solve youth problems so we can live in peace. Because we Ivorians are happy and we love our homes. An Ivorian who has eaten in the morning and at noon doesn't care about politics. If he has a little money to drink his beer, he can sit there in peace, but when he's hungry, then there's a problem. Ivorians don't want to go hungry.

Q. In one of your songs you talk about Gaddafi. What is he?

A. Gaddafi is a dangerous drug that kids take: they buy energy drinks and put pills (painkillers and opiates) on them. It's a mixture that leads them to become something else. I sing to raise awareness, because when you take Gaddafi , you destroy your health. You want to take something to feel good, but the opposite happens. I'm committed to fighting this scourge that began around 2000. Today, you see young people, and even children, who have gone crazy because of this stimulant.

Before, people wondered if traditional-modern music could fill a large hall. Now they trust us, and they also know that we bring important messages.

Q. Do people know that Gaddafi was also a Libyan leader ?

A. Yes, people in Africa know that. But the Ivorian people are fun-loving and joke around, and they give things names.

Q. Why do you think kids want to have fun like this?

A. Our young people are somewhat neglected; they don't have jobs, and that's what drives them to do it. You find young people who have a degree, but they're pushing a cart through the potholes in the street. Or they have a small garba stall (semolina with fried fish and legumes)... The kid went to school to study to become someone, and after everything they've done, they're back to zero. So they're desperate and take those things to forget everything, and they end up becoming addicted.

Q. Regarding your musical style, you define yourself as traditional-modern …

A: Yes, modern traditional. Before, our Baoulé roots music was made with three-string guitars , which is what our ancestors played. In my case, I mix folklore with DJ beats to better express myself and so everyone can find themselves in my music.

Q. Was there anything in the tradition of the Baoulé ethnic group that particularly influenced you?

A. Yes, goli , which is a type of dance. Baoulé people sing and dance a lot. Someone would play a three-stringed guitar, and the choir would respond. With that, they drew the crowd. Thankfully, we have the father of our folklore, N'guess Bon Sens , who is the custodian of traditional-modern music. He was the first modern traditional Baoulé artist from the Ivory Coast to release an album. And since the 1990s, he's opened many doors to everyone; so producers have trusted us to bring this music to the big city. Before that, there was also Sidonie, the tigress , like our mother.

Only recently, in the years following 2020, did Baoulé artists start performing at the Palais de la Culture, the grand auditorium in Abidjan, for example. Before, people wondered if traditional-modern music could fill a large hall. Now they trust us, and they also know we bring important messages, so we sell out.

Q. The traditional part is baoulé and what is the modern part?

A. The modern part is what the arranger adds. He takes other musical styles and we sing over them in Baoulé . It can be reggae, rumba, salsa, or zouk . We call it tradi-modern because we sing in our language and with our vocal skills, those of our ethnic group. We also dance.

Q. How are artists from the interior of the country received on the scene in the big city of Abidjan?

A. I don't have any problem with the scene here. I've made my place among artists… traditional-modern music has its place. I've already been to the Palais de la Culture twice, which has been packed, and I've had shows on some of the most important stages in the country. But, internationally, I've only performed on stage in Casablanca, Morocco, where there's a large Ivorian community. And in July, we'll be performing in France for the first time.