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Senegal:
Côte d’Ivoirian reggae singer banned in Senegal
Reggae singer Tiken Jah Fakoly from Côte d’Ivoire was declared 'persona non grata' in Senegal in December 2007, after critizing Senegal's president and calling for democracy.
The Senegales authorities described his declarations on President Abdoulaye Wade and his critique of the rising corruption and maladministration in Senegal as “sensational, insolent and discourteous”
This was reported by African Press Agency, APA, and Freedom Newspaper's political commentator Soleyman Mboup from Senegal's capital Dakar.
A communiqué of the Senegalese Ministry of the Interior was read on the public television, saying: 'The minister of the Interior has adopted an order banning the Ivorian artist from entering Senegal. From now on, Tiken Jah Fakoly is persona non grata in Senegal'.
Tiken Jah Fakoly has been living in exile in Mali for five years. He was granted political asylum in 2003 following a political crisis in Cote d’Ivoire where a number of people close to him were brutally killed.
During a concert at the French Cultural Institute in Dakar in December 2007, Tiken Jah Fakoly told a crowd of reggae fans that it was unfair for President Abdoulaye Wade to impose his son on the Senegalese. He also said if President Wade doesn't want his son, Karim Wade, to be probed or auditioned by the National Assembly, Wade should leave him at home and consider leaving office. The reggae star called for democracy and respect for the rule of law in Senegal, and also asked Senegal to think over the case of Cote d’Ivoire, which has been crippled by its internal conflict since 2002.
Tiken Jah Fakoly was ordered to immediately leave Dakar and not ever contemplate hosting shows in Dakar.
About Tiken Jah Fakoly
Tiken Jah Fakoly is among the leading reggae singers of West Africa. He recently received his third golden disc for the sales of his ninth album, 'L’Africain', which was released in September 2007. He has received several prizes for his albums 'France Afrique', released in 2001, and 'Coup de gueule', released in 2004.
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Tiken Jah Fakoly - persona non grata
L'Africain |
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