Senegalese/Gambian Music- Viviane Ndour

One of the best things about Senegal/Gambia is the music. Gambia is mostly Rasta/Reggae country. They were colonized by the British there, and with English being their official language, that makes Reggae music easy to listen to and understand for the people. They took to it very emphatically. I haven't been to many Sub-Saharan African countries, nor have I been to Jamaica, but still I would guess that their Reggae fans are as enthusiastic as any fans anywhere in the world. They truly love the music. And it was so refreshing to have one of them remind me to "listen closely to the words". Coming from America where all people care about is a catchy beat and a catchy hook, there is nothing more refreshing to me then to have someone silence me, have me "listen closely to the words" and even explain to me in detail what the artist is saying and the deeper meaning of the song. The lifestyle, and the heart and soul of the people really brings out the depth and substance of the Reggae music. I can't listen to Reggae back home in America, but when I'm in Africa I am more than happy to listen to it all day every day, because it moves in harmony with the lifestyle there. It's the push for positive thinking during times of worry and stress, and freeing the mind, and keeping a smile through it all... it is cliche in America but it is infectious in Africa; and it actually works there because people are closely related and care about one another.





Senegal, on the other hand was colonized by the French. I don't find many French styles of music, there, so they generally look internally, and have created their own styles of music and dance. The music is performed mostly in the indigenous Wolof language. The sound involves a lot of drumming, and an overall fullness of sound. One term used to describe it for people familiar with the region is Mbalax. And Viviane Ndour is my favorite artist, and she is called the "Queen of Mbalax".


Viviane Ndour apparently came up in the music industry through a connection with Senegal's internationally recognized superstar Yousou Ndour. People in the West may remember Yousou Ndour through his African tribute album in the early 90's and the epic song he did with Peter Gabrielle "In Your Eyes", that he performed with him all over the world. Nothing says Senegalese/African culture like Yousou Ndour. He is a huge Icon in the region.


So Viviane Ndour may have came up under Yousou Ndour's stardom as a back-up singer but she is certainly a gigantic star in her own right. Her style is certainly more updated and involves elements of hip-hop and American R&B. She even recognizes Aaliyah as one of her inspirations in music. The first time she heard "Are You Somebody" she actually thought it was a Senegalese song, because the sounds in the song are similar to those of Senegalese music. She did her own remix version of the song and it is excellent like all of her work.

She is half-Lebanese and half-Senegalese. A Senegalese mother and a Lebanese father. Yet I don't find much Lebanese influence in her music. Lebanese people, unlike the Mauritanian Arabs of Senegal/Gambia have integrated and immersed themselves in the region and appear to have become one with the natives.

I went to three Viviane shows in Gambia. Lucky for me she was promoting a new album at the time. So she made her stops in Gambia right around New Years Eve. I cut short all my plans and spent all 3 of my last nights in the country going around to her shows.



Her first show was at a Hotel in Gambia, and it was called a Gala Dinner. Very expensive with the cheapest tickets going for around 70$ US dollars and most expensive tickets for like $500 dollars; on top of that people would go on stage during her show and throw loads of money onto her, which is an old tradition in that region of Africa, to get on stage and dance with performers and even throw money on them.



The second night she performed at the most popular nightclub in Gambia called Club Duplex. The club was jam-packed, and inspite of the discouragement of my friends I went early (Africans never seem to want to go early to anything) and I was lucky enough to be in the front row because I went early. First people danced and they played music until the opening acts were ready to take the stage. The club kind of takes it's influences from an American club, it has two floors with a VIP section upstairs. They played some pretty great songs though before the show, one song that was really a huge hit for me during my time there was "Hold You" by Gyptian and that track really hit me that night. Also, they bumped Viviane Ndour's hit from the previous year "Amor" with Phillip Montenegro and even before the opening acts had even made it to the stage I was already feeling the night.




When the artists finally took the stage well after 12pm the MC for the night assured the people Viviane would rock the house till 5Am. Loads of people bouncing off each other like a mosh pit throughout the show because of the crowd. Sweating and thirsty people fought over water bottles handed out by the band during the show. I got up and danced on stage, and was started to get comfortable with the Senegalese style of dancing. Many people were jumping up to dance on stage, as they had the previous night. Once again they encouraged me to go up there, and people got a kick out of seeing a white person on stage like that. Viviane's performance was spectacular and the night was great. She rocked the club till 4am bringing in the New Year.




The last night she performed at a place called Dream Park, which is a small amusement park for kids. Many kids were at the show and in the front row, so this night I kind of kicked back with my friends and just watched the show. It wasn't intense like the previous night, but more fun for the kids. A lot of little kids got on stage and did their dances, and it was very impressive and entertaining to see. The show was a lot of fun. This picture is of Adama and I on the side of the stage/middle enjoying the show.