Zouglou ( , ) is a
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
oriented style of music originated from
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 ...
during the mid-1990s.
It started with students
from a college of
Gagnoa
Gagnoa is a city in south-central Ivory Coast. It is the seat of both Gôh-Djiboua District and Gôh Region. It is also the seat of and a sub-prefecture of Gagnoa Department. Gagnoa is also a commune. In the 2014 census, the city had a populat ...
drawing on elements of other styles of music.
Zouglou recounts the various social realities experienced by the Ivorian youth and carries messages, sometimes humorous, sometimes political, or, more often, delivers advice on life. It has since spread elsewhere, including to
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 ...
,
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
and
Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...
.
The export of the phenomenon
It was in 1989 that the zouglou as dance, language and philosophy, exports of the city of Yop to that of Abobo. Opokou N'ti, with real skills choreographic was blessed by Joe Christy to "liberate" (dance) to the city of Abobo to demand "teachers" who had invited them to fraternize. A few weeks later comes the demonstration zouglou in non-student in the hall of Kumasi, when the Ziguehi was a reality in Côte d'Ivoire, facilitated by Alain Gaston Lago and Tahi (Commissioner Tricot). The man of letters and culture Alain Tahi (student at the time) would already spread phenomenon.
Evolving in time, zouglou created and proposed successively dance steps without changing the truly musical form: Gnakpa, Kpaklo. Although in 1999 the zouglou achieved international renown thanks to Magic System, the genre remains relatively unknown.
It currently has several dozen groups or artists and zouglou:
Yodé & Siro (Best Album 2009 Zouglou sign with Zo, Mèlèkè Lago Paulin Khunta & Cisco (Gochinago) Patterns, New Leaders, Coco Hilaire, Old gazère, Oxygen, Hope 2000, The mechanics ...
Zouglou emerged in the '90s as a musical genre and innovative Ivorian made by and for young people. If until that time singers like Bailly Spinto or Alpha Blondy much better known had managed to wear the colors of the Ivorian music, their songs were either inspired French folklore for some or all reggae for others. Rock, with such Gnahoré Jimmy at that time was also trying to get a place. Other traditional songs also drew them out of the game but this time music "Ivorian" was born, music is purely outcome of the cultural and Ivorian Abidjan.
Popularity
Popular with the youth, the lyrics are written in local languages and
French street slang,
Many popular Ivorian zouglou artists are living (or have lived) in exile due to their political support to the former president
Laurent Gbagbo
Koudou Laurent Gbagbo
, FPI website .
,
Sur-Choc (who appeared on the soundtrack of the 2005
FIFA Street
''FIFA'', also known as ''FIFA Football'' and to be rebranded as ''EA Sports FC'' from 2023, is a series of association football video games developed and released annually by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label. As of 2011, the ''FIFA'' fr ...
game), Petit Denis, Vieux gazeur, Les potes de la rue, Les Garagistes, Mercenaires, Yode et Siro and Espoir 2000.
This concept has evolved to inspire new musical genres and dances (
Gnakpa,
Mapouka Mapouka (also macouka,"la danse du fessier", or "the dance of the behind") is a modernized version of a traditional dance from the Dabou area of southeast Côte d'Ivoire originating from the Aizi, Alladian and Avikam people. Mapouka entered the m ...
,
Youssoumba, and more recently the
coupé-décalé) promoted by youth.
References
* Yacouba Konate, Kla Franck, "Generation zouglou," Journal of African Studies, 168, 2002
* Serges Bruno Porquet Extract from the daily L'Inter, 4 September 2009
Notes
{{Genres of African popular music
Ivorian styles of music
African popular music