Bakel is hardly reachable, located in extreme east of Senegal, in front of Mauritania, close to Mali, not far from Guinea... feels like in middle of nowhere but actually within Soninké (Sarakholé) area with influences from all around.
As everywhere in Senegal (in Africa?), hip hop is the easiest and more popular way to express feelings, you "just" have to download instrumentals (sometimes not so easy, but there is internet access) and then this is like perpetuating the ancestral griot tradition in a modern way... rapping all day long...
As a farr-off and minority region, rapping high and loud the Soninké cultural identity is reflected in lyrics themes, in some important attention to sing in Soninké language, but transversal problematics are not forgotten.
Amazing place, where a humble 18 years old baye fall , shows you dozens of used notebooks filled with poetries and hiphop lyrics he wrote in 4 languages (french, soninké, bambara, wolof). It was a very surpising and pleasant freestyle/spokenword afternoon...
I'll have another post on theses subject with Fulani Hip Hop (Haal Pulaar / Peul).
Anyway, good flow and "laid back" vibe there... always restrictions on means, but hip hop soul is there.
Great summer parties, including shows and contests (dance, theatre, hiphop, traditionnal), and for sure hot "Soirees Senegalaises" with sabar percusion and really-on-fire dancers...
I arrived there with a bunch of burned CDs with hiphop instrumentals, and i got some fresh hits from the region from DJ Wow (Way Of the World).
So Big Up to SONINKE people and Bakel Hip Hop Connexion, DJ Wow, Boom Fire, DBD, Cheikh Tidiane, Oumar Coulibaly ...Here's an unreleased tough track from Bay Idi / Tougna, expressing his views (in french wolof and soninke) on french foreign policy, especially on Nicolas Sarkozy...
And a second one dedicated to Soninke People (intro in english, rap in soninke):
A lot more to come about african hip hop and modern griots...
