Magical, superb, extraordinary: these are some of the adjectives you might hear around 11 p.m. in front of the Lino Ventura Theater. After two hours of concert, the thousand people who came to applaud the reggae artist exit, eyes still wide open, from a show of very high quality. “It’s excellent, both in substance and form. He demystifies Africa’s often taboo history and conveys powerful messages, without ever taking the easy way out,” explains 32-year-old Khaled. The show starts more than half an hour late from the scheduled time, a common stage habit, but it was nonetheless surprising. It’s 9 p.m. when the lights in the small Nice venue go out and a deep voice introduces the members of the band, the Djelys. Then, the first electric riffs are heard, the brass lightly hums, the keyboards sound for the first time, and it’s a little medley of the great hits of the Ivorian giant that kicks off the concert. Finally! His Highness Tiken Jah takes the stage. He’s there for almost two hours, pausing only to explain his fight and to further express his message.
A Moral Lesson
It was to be expected, the “General of the Rastamen” is not there solely to sing songs of love and peace. He is there to deliver a strong message: “NO to DNA testing.” And this already starts at the theater entrance: SOS Racisme, in association with Tiken Jah, distributes leaflets calling for signatures on the petition circulating online. Various topics are addressed, such as the development of Africa, dear to Tiken Jah Fakoly, and political corruption. Through his music, the Ivorian artist succeeds in giving voice to the poorest. “It’s reassuring to hear these messages of hope,” says Marie, 27. “Especially in the current context. It’s a shame there were no politicians in the room.” The politicians were particularly targeted, especially when Tiken Jah “amused” himself by reading a letter, a nod to Guy Môquet, to the tune of Sting.
The audience at Lino Ventura, composed of both young people and retirees, fell under the spell of the spiritual son of Alpha Blondy. The only downside of the evening was that the venue was far too small for the occasion. Many fans were left at the door, hoping a place would fall from the sky for them. Unfortunately, on Saturday, only the voice of hope came from the sky. Hope for a better world, according to Tiken Jah Fakoly.
