Stereo Africa Festival – Endless Concerts

One of the long-awaited evenings of the festival was indeed Friday night, at the Maison de la Culture Douta Seck. The program announced several headliners, including Ali Beta, but living legend Cheikh Lô was also present.

First up was Nelida Karr, who opened the main stage with her guitar, but this time she was accompanied by a pianist, who wasn’t present for her little performance at the opening cocktail party (link). Her guitar playing is simply breathtaking, as she blends her native Equatorial Guinean language, English and Spanish into her music. Dressed in a green tunic and matching scarf, it’s once again her smile that infects festival-goers. In fact, she interacted with them a lot, making them sing some parts or melodies. “In the next song, what you’re feeling right now, that’s the theme of the song,” she announced before intoning the first notes.

After a short break in the gastronomic section, I was delighted to discover an Ethiopian cuisine kiosk. And the funny thing was, it was run by a woman who went to the same (only) French school in Addis Ababa. So there was no doubt about it, I had to try Geeza’s cooking and go back to my childhood immediately. In particular, she served Ethiopian coffee and spiced tea, which I had the pleasure of tasting.

The time had come to discover the show Ali Beta had planned for us. He was accompanied by several musicians, some of whom I’d seen on stage during Jazz Up. Right from the start, he opened with an energizing piece. Afro-Jazz yes, with touches of Afrobeat, but above all a remarkable stage presence. At times, he interacts with the audience, inviting them into his world with his words, before moving on to the music. A storyteller, that he is, in addition to his many talents.

A short detour to the second stage to discover an artist I didn’t know: Samira Fall. A spoken word artist, she masters the art of stagecraft from the moment she takes the stage. She plays with words and moved us, even if I didn’t understand the meaning. That’s the power of art. She took the time to translate certain passages, and had us sing in Wolof at times, notably by having us repeat lan mo dess, which means “What will remain?” in Wolof. She was accompanied by her guitarist and keyboardist, and also dressed in a black tunic to match her braids. She dedicated one of her songs to non-conformists, of whom there were certainly many that evening.

The first of two evenings of concerts ended with the monumental Cheikh Lô and his ten-piece band. Despite his age, he is still on stage, sometimes standing, sometimes sitting, but with the same energy. He even takes the place of his drummer, sharing with us his mastery of this instrument, before returning to the stage. Some of these rhythms are tinged with Latin sounds, but there’s also mbalax among other styles, especially in the last track played. Dressed in a military jacket with fur, and a belt around his waist, the artist with the hat still has the touch and switches from singing to a drum set up in front of the stage on which he taps at times. At 70 years of age, this artist still has a lot to share, and every concert should be a sell-out, since we’re lucky to have living legends on national and international stages. Indeed, Cheikh Lô was in Montreal a few months ago, accompanied by several other Senegalese artists.

Photo Credit: Cheikh Oumar Diallo