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Published on 2024-03-20 14:58:30
The artist Abdou Guité Seck is a huge success in the midst of the election campaign. The songs composed in honor of Ousmane Sonko and candidate Aliou Mamadou Dia have received over a million views on YouTube. The popular song “Togne Nagnou La, Togn Sey Sopé” dedicated to the leader of the dissolved party PASTEF has caused a stir. In this interview with Seneweb, he discusses his commitment and the reasons for his support for Ousmane Sonko.
Among the presidential candidates, you chose to sing about Ousmane Sonko and Aliou Mamadou Dia. What are your motivations?
Thank you for your question. I want to remind everyone that neither Sonko nor Aliou Mamadou Dia has asked me for anything. These two songs come from my own will. They come from the heart. The initial idea was a gift of oneself to the country.
“Do you have special relationships with Ousmane Sonko and Aliou Mamadou Dia?”
My relationship with Ousmane Sonko is not new. He is someone with whom I have shared brotherly moments. Ousmane was a student of my late brother, and he has a great appreciation for me through this brotherly connection. He has always admired my work and my profile. The same goes for Aliou Mamadou Dia, who has never stopped supporting me, listening to me. I can say that I am the only singer whose music he listens to in his car. So, you see, these are very strong connections. Hence, the two songs I dedicated to these personalities. I am trying to highlight the promotion of values and not individuals. Today, God has made these men carry these values, which is great.
“How did you get inspired to write the song dedicated to Ousmane Sonko?”
Ousmane Sonko is a very committed man to his people. He has always expressed his ambitions for his country. And this man has always inspired us. He has been wronged because he simply has political and social determination. This man has been at the heart of Senegalese news. In recent years, almost everything was about him. The whole country, no matter the sector, was talking about Ousmane. It was our daily life. Suddenly, he was falsely accused. I pay tribute to Ousmane Sonko because he has suffered a lot of injustice.
“What do you think of Ousmane Sonko’s release?”
I felt immense satisfaction but also sadness. Because I thought that this satisfaction had no reason to exist. Ousmane Sonko being in prison made no sense. Imagine someone falsely accused from all sides, deprived of their rights and freedom by being thrown into prison, causing his family to suffer. And today, we see those who accused him saying no, he did nothing. It’s total injustice. I was happy for his release at the same time; I was deeply saddened inside.
“How did you experience the success of this song?”
I experienced it with great pride, like I have with the success of all my songs. An extraordinary return that makes me proud and gives me even more strength and inspiration. It is resonating everywhere during this campaign period and on YouTube, TikTok, I couldn’t believe it. Ousmane Sonko, as well as the leaders of his coalition, called me to praise the song. And for me, it is a brother who has come to build, and every person with sense, morals, and ambition should join him to ensure a better future for the Senegalese. I plan to join them in the field if God wills.
“Did you face any constraints in the production of this song?”
Not at all. I worked for two years. This is not the only song I have composed for Ousmane Sonko. I have 10 songs in honor of Ousmane Sonko. As I said, he continued to fascinate us. There are 09 other songs dedicated to him.
“When are they scheduled for release?”
I do not know at the moment because it is not planned. Nothing is within our control. Everything is planned by God. The proof is that the release of my song about Sonko coincided with his release on Thursday at 00 hours. And I swear, when finalizing with my marketing team for the publication of the song, I had no idea that Ousmane Sonko would be released on the same day.
“The basis of my songs is not money or business. I do not operate that way.”
“Do you have the ambition to sing for other candidates before the end of the campaign?”
I would say no because my songs are not composed overnight. I take a lot of time to conceive them and to give them all the soul needed for my work. They require concentration, seriousness, and time. If my songs require all these criteria, I think it is impossible with the little time left in the campaign to sing for other candidates. It is impossible. And it is not even in my planning. I remind you that I have declined requests to compose songs for some candidates that I refrain from naming. There was a lot of funding behind them. But the basis of my songs is not money or business. I do not operate that way.
“I have inhaled tear gas like every Senegalese person. My car was targeted by tear gas grenades during the first riots. I was on the field like everyone else.”
“Why wait for this moment to sing for Ousmane Sonko when things have been much harder for him. Artists did not raise their voices during this period. Do you, in a way, not agree with those who say that you are playing politics by taking advantage of the excitement to have more visibility?”
You cannot write a text from nothing. You need things. My social commitment goes back to my early works through ‘Denkané,’ through ‘Doundou Gui Diaffé Na.’ You cannot say that it is to do politics or something else. I can only draw inspiration from our experiences and the perspective I have as an artist. I composed this song with a big heart because we want a peaceful Senegal. And we have connections, both in the opposition and in the government. Today, if Macky Sall were in Sonko’s place, I wouldn’t hesitate to dedicate a song to him. After that, we let people think whatever they want because we are in a democratic country.
For negative comments, I forgive. It is differences that make the world. But looking for trouble where there is none is not my strength. In the most difficult moments, I shared all the pain with Senegalese society. I inhaled tear gas like every Senegalese person. My car was targeted by tear gas grenades during the first riots. I was on the field like everyone else.
“You sang for Aliou Mamadou Dia and Ousmane Sonko, two candidates from different camps. Today, can we know if you are for the PUR or for the Pastef?”
I will not answer that question. Regardless of my relationship and my love for someone, I will always refrain from disclosing my voting secret or giving voting instructions. It is up to everyone to choose what they want. Even in the songs, I have not shown my political affiliation because, as I said and I repeat once again, I highlight values and not individuals. After that, everyone is free to make their own diagnosis and given that if I am not one, I am necessarily the other. So I am one.
“Do you fear any consequences with these positions you have taken?”
No! There is no risk because these songs are of great nobility. Who will fight against nobility? Because even the justice in my country is with this song “Togn Nagnou La.” It has rendered a judgment in that direction. He has been wronged along with an entire people. Because of these unfounded accusations, there have been deaths, people who have lost their jobs. We all went through it together, and it had no reason to be.
“Do you have a message for Amadou Ba, the candidate of the BBY coalition?”
The only message is to go out and vote and let the people choose the president they want. It’s not complicated. Amadou Ba, Macky, Ousmane Sonko, we are all brothers.
Read the original article(French) on Senegal Direct
