progosk, July 12, 2006 11:34:20 AM CEST
Didier Awadi/Bouba 'Kirikou' Mendy "Sunugaal" (ed. Studio Sankara)

senegalese protest hit (title means "our canoe" in wolof).
swf here,
more info here;
awadi's site here.
         
funny how the bbc misreads "didier" as "dj".
         
thx for these links.
         
some of my very best memories of a year abroad in dakar, senegal (=sunugaal, y'see) are watching DJ Awadi (whose first name is didier, so actually no misreading) and Carlou D and Baaye Sooley of Positive Black Soul aka PBS RADIKAL which is no doubt the BEST hip hop on a lyrical and musical and consciousness level in Senegal, and among the best of Africa, from what i've heard.

mad respect to progosk for posting this. everybody, please, if you dug this video get their cds. word.

wollabokk, jay jaffataay. jamm ak xewel.
         
ps, background for this song: many many many senegalese and mauritanians try to escape the poverty in west africa by immigrating to europe. they used to go up to morocco and go across the straits of gibraltar, but now that is so well guarded that they are forced to make a hellacious journey from nouadhibou, NW mauritania, to the canary islands, which are owned by spain (hence the "cruz rojo" or red cross you see in some pictures), and, once within spanish borders there, either stay and work or make their way to spain and mainland europe. people spend their entire life savings to the boatmen who attempt the extremely dangerous and difficult journey in tiny pirogues (canoes) jam packed with immigrants. the death rate is very high, and the failure/arrest rates are even higher. it is a seriously tragic and fucked up situation. there was a great washington post article on the subject back in may or april.