http://www.vimeo.com/8907715
Music artists are exploring and expanding their artistic reach, after all an album is not enough anymore. A great example, which has been on rotation since last week, is Baloji’s ‘Karibu Ya Bintou’. A story set in the streets of Kinshasa, Congo, in the spirit of the great Muhammed Ali’s classic ‘Rumble in the Jungle’. This sounds like the perfect movie for a beautiful summer night, so let’s hope Baloji builds the story to something which surpasses the 4 minutes and stills our hunger for a new 21st classic set in Kinshasa.
(ironically the Youtube video is of low quality)
Kofi Olomide is not merely an African sounding name. He’s one Africa’s most famous artists with a decent discography. I was watching some of my favorite Kofi Olomide youtube videos and was inspired to remix an entry I wrote almost two years ago @ blogspot blog . Even if Olomide face is showing a bit of age, his hips refuse to move as smoothly and his tummy is fat, he’s still a dandy extraordinary with music videos that are of high quality compared to other African artists. Of course excluding those approved with the authentic stamp by the World music agents.
Looking at his video shot in a North African city, I believe his ability to divulge portraits as the one above and dressing like a Mad Mullah while parading boulevards of random Arab cities without being attacked by the local people is remarkable.
Let me spill the beans, because this post is not necessarily about Kofi Olomide. He’s merely an excuse to share my love and fascination for Congolese Sapeur and their obsession with Haute Couture and the art of elegance. Sapeur belong to the movement called La SAPE —La Societé des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes (the religion of clothes). La SAPE as a religion which dictates its followers to posses expensive clothes started out with the Papa Wemba as the grand intermediary between the fashion gods and followers. Personally, I am curious to know what makes Congolese society THE breeding ground for a movement such as La SAPE, when all over Africa (surprisingly) “blingblinging”(lack of better word) is a commodity to show one’s wealth or to simply look good.
random comment: I wonder if the Sapeurs would let me visit their immensely popular city of Molokai 