Karim Sama (born 1971), more commonly known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Sams'K Le Jah, is a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

musician, radio host and political activist from

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...

. He was born in the neighbouring

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

, before coming to Burkina Faso in 1985. During his teens he was a member of the

Pioneers of the Revolution The Pioneers of the Revolution () was a youth organisation in Burkina Faso, modelled along the pattern of the pioneer movements typically operated by communist parties, such as the contemporary Pioneers of Enver, José Martí Pioneer Organisati ...

, a youth movement created by Captain

Thomas Sankara Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara (; 21 December 1949 – 15 October 1987) was a Burkinabé military officer, Marxist–Leninist revolutionary, and Pan-Africanist, who served as President of Burkina Faso from his coup in 1983 to his deposition and ...

, a radical left-wing revolutionary who came to power in 1983 military coup. A member of the

Rastafari movement Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control o ...

as well as a Sankarist, he upholds both Sankara and

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...

. He hosts a music programme on Radio Omega FM, where he frequently airs his outspoken views. In 2007, after playing at a concert calling for

freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...

in Burkina Faso and justice for the murdered journalist

Norbert Zongo Norbert Zongo (31 July 1949 – 13 December 1998), also known under the pen name of Henri Segbo or H.S., was a Burkinabé investigative journalist who managed the newspaper ''L'Indépendant'' in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Under Zongo's supervi ...

, his car was torched outside of the radio station and he received several death threats. Sams’K Le Jah co-founded Le Balai Citoyen ("The Citizen's Broom"), a grassroots political movement, together with the hip hop musician Serge Bambara in 2013. The movement is opposed to

political corruption Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials or their network contacts for illegitimate private gain. Forms of corruption vary, but can include bribery, lobbying, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, in ...

and the government of President

Blaise Compaoré Blaise Compaoré (born 3 February 1951)''Profiles of People in Power: The World's Government Leaders'' (2003), page 76–77.

, who ousted and killed Thomas Sankara in a 1987 coup. He became a prominent opposition leader during the 2014 Burkinabé uprising, which on 31 October 2014 forced Compaoré to resign and flee the country. Writing on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

, the reggae musician called for his countrymen to be cautious towards

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

, which took control following Compaoré's resignation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jah, SamsK Le 1971 births Burkinabé musicians Living people Sankarists Burkinabé Rastafarians Reggae musicians Ivorian emigrants to Burkina Faso 21st-century Burkinabé people

See also

References