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Ivory Coast - Côte d'Ivoire Hosted by Joar Svanemyr
Salsa is definitely popular. Africando from Senegal are of course well known and you'll find their cassettes in the smallest music shop. On the radio you will also a few times a day hear a salsa tune with Spanish lyrics. In regular discotheques/night-clubs they very often play sequences of two or three salsa tunes every 90 minute or so and you're almost guaranteed to hear a tune from the last record of Africando. But don't expect to hear the same songs as in the salsotheques in Europe. Victor Manuelle, Marc Anthony, India and other bestsellers from USA are not known here. You will might hear a song of Tito Rojas or El Canario. In the capital Abidjan there are two or three places where they occasionally plays only Afro-Cuban music. But here the old boys and the nostalgia reign. Salsa as we know it is virtually absent and the loud speakers are dominated by the old Cuban rhythms as son, danzon, bolero og guajira. Artists to be mentioned are Orquesta Aragon, Johnny Pacheco, Rudy Calzado and tunes by Celia Cruz from the very beginning of her career. Some of those who love this music has even started an association: AMAC - Les Amis de la Musique Afro-Cubaine (Friends of Afro-Cuban Music). In Abidjan and a couple of other cities they gather to listen and to dance. The association also has it's own radio program. From 8 to 10 P.M. every Friday the air is dedicated to Afro-Cuban music on one of the two radio channels that are covering the whole country, Fréquence 2. For those who like the old Cuban classics these programs are a real treasure and excellent if you want to be introduced to the origins of the salsa music. When they shall explain their love for the Afro-Cuban music they often refere to the music's African roots. They are definitely proud of la herencia Africana - the African heritage. The association's taste is by the way reflected in the choice of the record shops where except for three or four records by Africando you will only find collections of artists as mentioned above. The associoation have also founded an orchestra named Septeto Dabou and who is playing old an new salsa, son and cha-cha-cha classics on different occasions. The distance from the salsotheques and the best seller lists in Europe and USA manifests it self on the dance floor as well. In general they love to dance, but so far I have not seen one single couple doing figures and all stick to the basic son step or something similar. Quite a few are good at and have great fun by improvising steps in their own way. Those who adventure to try regular figures soon loose their steps and rhythm. Accordingly it draws attention when a white man (me) do several kinds of figures and swings. Many have told me they like my way of dancing, but some thinks it looks like rock dancing and a few are rather sceptical: This isn't Afro-Cuban dancing? I explain I have learned almost every step I know from Cubans living in Norway and that this is the way they dance in Cuba today. A few who have been to Cuba or have seen videos recognize it as the way le cubain is danced today. The national president of AMAC who's been several times to Cuba even pointed out that this dance is what the Cubans call casino. Read my interview with the national president of AMAC (les Amis de la Musique Afro-Cubaine/the Friends of Afro-Cuban Music.
Where to dance and listen to Afro-Cuban music: Abidjan Les sapeurs-pompiers: A bar with a dance floor at the fire station (!) where they play Afro-Cuban music every Saturday from 5 to 10 P.M. Entrance 2000 F CFA. Very crowded and a great atmosphere. Dominated by men in their forties or fifties and somewhat younger women. When one Cuban classic after the other comes out of the basic music equipment I could swear I was in Santiago de Cuba, and not Abidjan. Whereabouts: Situated at Le rond point de l'echangeur de Plateau, at the outskirts of the Adjamé-quarter. Ask any taxi driver, he should know where it is.
Corso: A Night-club/restaurant on Le Plateau. Afro-Cuban music every Saturday when the party is over at the fire station (see above). Situated at Le Cercle du Rail a couple of blocks from Hotel Ibis Plateau. A regular discotheque where you can hear some salsa tunes in between African and Anglo-American pop music is Bastring next door to the SIB bank in Boulevard de la République at Le Plateau.
Bouaké (The second city of Côte d'Ivoire situated in the middle of the country).
Savannah - night club/discotheque in Avenue Houphouët-Boigny/Quartier de Commerce. AMAC is setting up a Afro-Cuban matinee the first Friday of every month from 5.30 to 10 P.M. On Fridays and Saturdays from 11 P.M. it's a regular discotheque playing a few salsa tunes from time to time. The same for the newer discotheque l'Acier Métal next door to the movie theatre Le Capitole.
Yamoussoukro Monthly matinees for dancing and listening are set up by the local AMAC. For more information contact Mr Adai Bosko, telephone 09 08 48 or 64 19 62. For more information about AMAC and their activities contact the national president M. Francois Abondio. Tel: (225) 22 86 66, Fax: (225) 21 30 76. (Speaks French and Spanish but not English.)
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