Depiction Of Jesus As White And Depiction Of Satan As Black In The Official YouTube Video Of The 2001 Ivory Coast Song "Victoire" By Petit Yodé & L'Enfant Siro

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases the Côte d’Ivoire’s 2001 Zouglou song ("Victory") by Petit Yodé & L'Enfant Siro.

Information about is Petit Yodé & L'Enfant Siro is also included in this post along with some of the comments from this official video's discussion thread that refer to the video's depiction of Jesus as White and Satan as Black.

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The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to for this song and thanks to all others who performed in this video. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT PETIT YODE AND l'ENFANT SIRO
From http://www.afrisson.com/Petit-Yode-et-l-Enfant-Siro-14131.html Biographie Discographie Petit Yodé et l’Enfant Siro
Groupes | Côte d’Ivoire | Création : 2000 | Styles : Zouglou par Sylvie Clerfeuille 4 septembre 2014 - © Afrisson
"Anciens membres du groupe Poussins chocs, Dali Djédjé Gervais alias Petit Yodé et l’Enfant Siro ont formé un duo au début des années 2000 et se se sont faits connaitre par plusieurs tubes de zouglou comme "1er jour à Paris", "la vie c’est mollo" et "Sign’Zo".
Poussins chocs

Petit Yodé a connu un grand succès dans le pays dans les années 1990 alors qu’il était membre du groupe "Poussins chocs" dont faisait également partie L’Enfant Siro, Leur grand tube de l’époque est le titre "Asec-Kotoko" parle de l’histoire tragique entre le Ghana et la Côte d’Ivoire après un match entre l’ASEC Mimosas et l’Asante Kotoko en Ligue des champions dans les années 1990).

Petit Yodé & L’Enfant Siro

A la séparation des Poussins chocs suite au décès de Fifi Django, Petit Yodé et L’Enfant Siro forme un duo devenu célèbre dans les années 2000 avec trois albums : Victoire (2001) qui évoque avec ironie la situation économique et politique du pays, Antilaléca comportant les tubes "1er jour à Paris" "et "la vie c’est mollo" puis Signoz parlant de l’effet des signes du zodiaque sur le comportement .

Petit Yodé et l’Enfant Siro on chanté pour la paix en Côte d’Ivoire avec des nombreux artistes de zouglou (Bagnon, Pat Sako d’Espoir 2000, Collectif 1+1, Collectif BCG,"....by Sylvie Clerfeuille 4 September 2014 - © Afrisson
-snip-
[Google translation from French to English, given "as is" with no changes to standard conversational American English]
Groups | Ivory Coast | Creation: 2000 | Styles: Zouglou
"Former members of the group Chicks Shocks, Dali Djédjé Gervais alias Petit Yodé and Child Siro formed a duet in the early 2000s and made themselves known by several tubes of zouglou as "1st day in Paris", "the life 'is soft' and 'Sign'Zo'.

Chicks

Petit Yodé was a big success in the country in the 1990s when he was a member of the group "Chicks shock" which was also part of The Child Siro, Their big hit of the time is the title "Asec-Kotoko" talks about the tragic history between Ghana and Ivory Coast after a match between ASEC Mimosas and Asante Kotoko in the Champions League in the 1990s).

Little Yodé & The Child Siro

At the separation of the chicks shock following the death of Fifi Django, Petit Yodé and The Child Siro forms a duet become famous in the years 2000 with three albums: Victoire (2001) which evokes with irony the economic and political situation of the country, Antilaléca with the tubes "1st day in Paris" and "life is soft" then Signoz speaking about the effect of signs of the zodiac on the behavior.

Petit Yodé and the Enfant Siro we sang for peace in Ivory Coast with many zouglou artists (Bagnon, Pat Sako d'Espoir 2000, Collective 1 + 1, Collectif BCG, ...).

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: petit yodé et l'enfant siro : victoire



Fromcotedivoire, Published on Jan 14, 2009

jesus va te tolo
-snip-
With two exceptions #47 and #48 which ask & respond to the question "What does this song mean in English?", this compilation highlights some of the numerous comments in this video's discussion thread about that video's depictions of Jesus as White and Satan as Black.

I also couldn't refrain from commenting in this discussion [#21].

French is the language that is used for most of the comments in that entire discussion thread and in this compilation. I've added Google translations from French to English after those comments that are included in this compilation.

Numbers are assigned to these comments for referencing purposes only. I've included explanatory notes for a few of these comments after their translations.

1. akinboade, 2009
"c'est nul que leur jesus soit blanc. jesus n'étais pas blanc, un mensonge occidental de plus. sinon toujours aussi drole cette chanson"
-snip-
"it is bad that their Jesus is white. Jesus was not white, another Western lie. if not always so funny this song

**
REPLY
2. Himmide Williams, 2009
"whether Jesus is white or black, when we all died we will go to hell or heaven it doesn't matter whether you'r black white or yellow (Asian). God is not white or black, people please stop whorshping white people."

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REPLY
3. candygirl86, 2012
"The whites have finally succeeded to convince us that Jesus is white and satan is a black man. This is just sad."

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4. Paula Salvador, 2009
"Je me permets juste une remarque ..
Satan est habillé en noir car il représente le mal qui est souvent associé a cette couleur ! Jesus est habillé en blanc car il représente la pureté ( ca ne veut pas dire que les blancs st bien et les noirs mauvais) .Je trouve que t'as un peu tord de penser like that. Perso, jai vu ce clip pr la 1st time a 10 ans et sa ne m'as pas marqué niveau mentalité! A mon avis c'est juste pour la symbolique."
-snip-
"I just allow myself a remark ..
Satan is dressed in black because he represents the evil that is often associated with this color! Jesus is dressed in white because it represents purity (it does not mean that whites are good and bad blacks). I think you're a little wrong to think like that. Personally, I saw this clip for the 1st time at 10 years and it did not score me mentality level! In my opinion it's just for the symbolic."

**
5. ctadcor, 2010
"jesus est blanc et satan est noir. La colonisation a laisse ses traces sur nous tous les noirs d'Afrique. Dans la Bible, le Satan n'a jamais ete represente comme un noir.
Mais bon, le clip en lui est tres bien, surtout la melodie"
-snip-
"Jesus is white and satan is black. Colonization has left its mark on us all blacks in Africa. In the Bible, Satan has never been represented as black.
But hey, the clip in him is very good, especially the melody"

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REPLY
6. gary durand, 2011
"@ctadcor d'ailleur dans cette même bible il n'a jamais été dis que jésus était blanc :D
nice clip anyway"
-snip-
"@ctadcor from elsewhere in this same Bible it was never said that Jesus was white: :D
nice clip anyway"

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REPLY
7. Frederic ouattara, 2012
"@ctadcor il est marrocain pas blanc, donc c'est un african"
-snip-
"@ctadcor he is Moroccan not white, so it's an african"

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REPLY
8. etrecurieux29, 2013
"pour ton info fabienking, celui que vous appelez jésus était noir, donc celui de la vidéo kil soit blanc ou arabe c pareil il ne représente pas le vrai Yeshoua, donc c toi l'IMBECILE"
-snip-
"for your info fabienking, the one you call jesus was black, so that of the video kil either white or arabic c it does not represent the true Yeshua, so you c the IMBECILE"

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9. CharoCommando, 2011
"Lol . Mrrrdddd Jesus est un Shao-Lin?? très amusante"
-snip-
"Lol. Mrrrdddd Jesus is a Shao-Lin ?? very amusing"
-snip-
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaolin_Kung_Fu
"Shaolin Kung Fu (Chinese: 少林功夫; pinyin: Shàolín gōng fu), also called Shaolin Wushu (少林武術; Shàolín wǔshù) or Shaolin quan (少林拳; Shàolín quán), is one of the oldest, largest, and most famous styles of wushu or kungfu. It combines Zen Buddhism and martial arts and originated and was developed in the Shaolin temple in Henan province, China during its 1500-year history. Popular sayings in Chinese folklore related to this practice include "All martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin" and "Shaolin kung fu is the best under heaven," indicating the influence of Shaolin kung fu among martial arts. The name Shaolin is also used as a brand for the so-called external styles of kung fu. Many styles in southern and northern China use the name Shaolin."...

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10. cuahtelmoc, 2011
"Rien de tout ça.Il dit que l'un est arrivé dans un kimono blanc et l'autre dans un kimono noir.Il n'a pas dit que l'un était de peau blanche et l'autre de peau noire..Pourquoi voir le racisme partout?quand meme!"
-snip-
"None of that.He says that one came in a white kimono and the other in a black kimono.He did not say that one was white skin and the other was black skinned.Why? to see racism everywhere ... anyway!"

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11. guy morel, 2013
"vraiment, j'ai rigoler et ça fait plus de cinq ans que je l'ai pas écouté. MAIS JE NE SAVAIS PAS QUE JÉSUS était "mauritanien ceinture noir 8eme danne"
-snip-
"I really laughed and it's been over five years since I listened to him. BUT I DID NOT KNOW THAT JESUS was "Mauritanian black belt 8th danne"

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12. Gaetan Junior Keya, 2013
"Qui vous a dit que Satan est noire? Tres drole!."
-snip-
"Who told you that Satan is black? Very funny!"

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13. olivier julienne, 2014
"Arrêtez vos commentaires débiles; c'est plutôt sympa comme chanson.....Emancipate yourselfs from mental slavery!"
-snip-
"Stop your stupid comments; it's pretty cool as a song ..... Emancipate yourselfs from mental slavery!"

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14. Dedhy diego manucho alvares, 2014
"quel blanc un libanais waiiiiiii!!!!!!!!"
-snip-
"what white a Lebanese waiiiiiii !!!!!!!!"

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REPLY
15. Said Abed, 2015
"+Dedhy diego manucho alvares Il est né à Bethleem en palestine donc il devait plus ressembler à un libanais qu'à autre chose"
-snip-
"+ Dedhy diego manucho alvares He was born in Bethlehem in Palestine so he was more like a Lebanese than anything else"

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REPLY
16. Dedhy diego manucho alvares, 2015
"+Said Abed
lool,mort de rire tu l'a 1 fois vus Jesus, ou tu te bases sur les mensonges de ces connards de blancs ???"
-snip-
"+ Said Abed
lool, death of laughter you've seen Jesus once, or you're based on the lies of these assholes white ???"

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REPLY
17. Dedhy diego manucho alvares, 2015
"laisse les se mentir eux même ,,,"
-snip-
"let them lie themselves,"

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REPLY
18. Bryce Mbassa, 2015
"c'est vous les complexé il pris le nir pour satan parce que c'est prince des ténebre et pour mieux le representer on prend un personnage qui se rapproche du noir s'il n'avaitpas de noir il devait prendre un blanc et l'enduir de couleur noir c'est vous qui identifiez au noir et qui etes complexé et vous prnnez tout pour une offanse meme ce qui ne l'est pas...!"
-snip-
"it is you complexed it took the nir for satan because it is prince of the darkness and to better represent it one takes a character who approaches the black if he did not have black he had to take a white and the to smear in black color it is you who identify with the black and who are complexed and you prnner everything for an offsafe even what is not it ...!"

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REPLY
19. Medullia Madulla, 2015
"Je pense qu'il y en a qui n'ont pas compris le clip. En effet Jésus est "blanc" et Satan est "noir".
On voit que Jésus est sale, édenté et noir "c'est le mal" = (selon de clip) il ne faut pas suivre son exemple. C'est peut être comme ça que certains européens voyais les ivoiriens à l'époque ou les ivoiriens eux-même qui se voyaient comme ça qui sait. A l'opposé Jésus est bien coiffé,immaculé et porte des Sebago ( une marque française de chaussure).
Plusieurs villes ou quartiers sont cités, des personnes sont venues de ces lieux pour assister au combat. Le phénomène n'était pas local mais étendu. Je vais peut être trop loin mais cela montre que la population a assisté, a cautionné et a adhéré à ce changement de culture (peut-être impuissante).
C'est juste une sorte d’autodérision pour montrer comment la culture ivoirienne et les ivoiriens étaient rabaissés à l'époque et que la culture européenne était un modèle.
Mais à travers la musique et la danse, comme le montre le clip, une parti de la culture à pu subsister malgré tout."
-snip-
"I think there are some who did not understand the clip. Indeed Jesus is "white" and Satan is "black".
We see that Jesus is dirty, toothless and black "it's evil" = (according to clip) we must not follow his example. This is perhaps how some Europeans saw the Ivorians at the time or the Ivorians themselves who saw themselves as who knows. On the opposite side, Jesus is well coiffed, immaculate and wears Sebago (a French shoe brand).

Several cities or neighborhoods are mentioned, people came from these places to watch the fight. The phenomenon was not local but extensive. I may go too far, but it shows that people have attended, supported and adhered to this change of culture (perhaps powerless).
It's just a kind of self-deprecation to show how Ivorian culture and Ivorians were belittled at the time and that European culture was a model.
But through music and dance, as shown in the clip, a party of culture could survive anyway."

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REPLY
20. Jola Mimicri, 2015
"Medullia Madulla tu as tout dit"
-snip-
"Medullia Madulla you said it all"

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REPLY
21. Azizi Powell, 2018
"I'm an African American who speaks no French. I learned about this song from numerous commenters in the discussion thread for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OInajwCmEnA "MzVee ft Yemi Alade - Come and See My Moda (Official Video)". The commenters said that that song sounds like Victoire's "Petit Yodé".

Whether they song [correction: "sound"] alike or not isn't my reason for commenting here.

First of all, I want to thank YouTube for introducing me and so many others to African music.

I used the Google translate feature to translate this comment exchange (and some others) from French to English. Here are the results I got:

[The English translation is inserted here.]ish translation after EAEAD -s
-snip-
I think that in the second sentence of Medullia Madulla's comment he (or she) meant to write "We see Satan as dirty, toothless and black "it's evil."

Thanks again and One Love!
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor: Here's another correction of what I wrote in that comment on that YouTube discussion thread: I mistakenly gave the artist's name as "Victorie". The artists names are Petit Yodé and L'Enfant Siro and the song's name is “Victoire”.

**
22. MAMAN SO N'DAYE, 2015
"Mh!!! Satan noir et Jésus blanc... après c'est vous les mêmes là qui allez traiter les blancs de racistes et mauvais parce qu'ils voient tout ce qui mauvais en noir. Pitié nous noirs..."
-snip-
"Mh !!! Black Satan and White Jesus ... after that you are the same ones who go to treat whites of racists and bad because they see all that bad in black. Please us black ..."

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REPLY
23. Inesnes1, 2015
"+MAMAN SO N'DAYE Exactement ce que ma mere viens de me dire. Elle me dit qu'elle aime beaucoup cette chanson, et autre, sauf la representation de Jesus et satan... Triste.."
-snip-
"+ MOM SO N'DAYE Exactly what my mother just told me. She tells me that she really loves this song, and other, except the representation of Jesus and satan ... Sad ..."

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REPLY
24. Ngilane Ndao, 2015
"+Inesnes1 J'aime cette chanson trop mais je n'ai pas réellement respecter image qu'ils ont donné au peuple noir et blanc les gens et si vous voulez vraiment être véridiques et vrai Jésus était noir et l'Antéchrist ressemble à un blanc Cheveux blonds aux yeux bleus homme que les gens prétendent être Jésus même dans le Coran dans la Bible décrire Jésus avec sèche de laine comme un homme noir pas cheveux soyeux comme homme blanc"
-snip-
"+ From Inesnes1 I love this song too much but I do not really respect the image they gave the people black and white people and if you really want to be truthful and true Jesus was black and the antichrist looks like a white hair blue-eyed blond man that people claim to be Jesus even in the Qur'an in the Bible describe Jesus with dry wool like a black man not silky hair like white man"

**
REPLY
25. dini guer, 2016
"C'est ' ignorance rien d autre..mais d'accord avec vous et d ailleur oui Jesus etait Noir!!"
-snip-
"It's' ignorance nothing else..but agree with you and yes yes Jesus was black !!"

**
REPLY
26. koko baloucci, 2016
"ne prend pas sa au serieux c'est juste un amusement"
-snip-
"do not take it seriously it's just a fun"

**
REPLY
27. Marilyn Teddy, 2016
"MAMAN SO N'DAYE mdr deja faut bien regardé le gar en jesus il est plutot mauritanien faut regardé avnt de Parler cest vous qui stigmatiser tout piff"
-snip-
"MOM SO N'DAYE mdr already had to look at the boy in jesus he is rather Mauritanian must have looked before talking is it you who stigmatize any piff"

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REPLY
28. Hause Yuyu, 2016
"Marilyn Teddy de quel couleur est sa couleur de peau le mauritanien ???"
-snip-
"Marilyn Teddy what color is his skin color Mauritanian ???"

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REPLY
29. MAMAN SO N'DAYE, 2016
"Qu'il soit mauritanien ou pas, il s'agit là de la peau claire contre la peau noire. Déjà on compare la peau blanche à la pureté et la noire au malheur. Voilà pourquoi nos sœurs noires sont complexées et se donnent parfois à la dépigmentation. Si nous même en tant que africains nous ne donnons pas de la valeur à notre propre couleur de peau, et nous faisons ces genres de plaisanterie, comment voulons nous que l'homme blanc nous respecte ?"
-snip-
"Whether Mauritanian or not, this is clear skin against black skin. Already we compare white skin to purity and black to unhappiness. This is why our black sisters are complexed and sometimes give themselves to depigmentation. If we as Africans do not value our own skin color, and we do these kinds of jokes, how do we want the white man to respect us?"

**
REPLY
30. MAMAN SO N'DAYE, 2016
"Qu'il soit rouge, orange, ou vert... il représente l'homme blanc puis qu'il est quand même clair. J'ai jamais parlé de nationalité mais plutôt de la couleur de peau
-snip-
"Whether it's red, orange, or green ... he represents the white man and he is still clear. I never spoke about nationality but rather skin color"

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REPLY
31. Achille_ Nestor, 2018
"Ngile Ndao je pense que c'est une mise en scène un scénario loin de la question de race.."
-snip-
Ngilane Ndao I think it's a staged scenario far from the race question ...

**
32. Rab Kil, 2015
"Que jesus ne soit pas noir c'est normal il était hébreu, arrêtez de voir du racisme partout. J'adore cette chanson."
-snip-
"That Jesus is not black is normal Hebrew, stop seeing racism everywhere. I love this song."

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REPLY
33. Antoinette Biloa, 2015
"+Rab Kil et que satan soit noir c'est normal ? imbécile !"
-snip-
+ Rab Kil and that satan is black is normal? fool!

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REPLY
34. Rab Kil, 2015
"Leur logique c'est que Satan est noir comme du charbon parce qu'il est en enfer, la logique n'est pas que l'africain est mauvais comme Satan, réfléchis un peu.Le comédien jouant Satan s'est peint avec une peinture noire si tu a remarqué, même s'il avaient pris un européen, il se serait peint en noir de toute façon. Arrêtez maintenant, dénoncez un racisme qui n'existe pas, ne fait qu'entretenir le racisme!"
-snip-
"Their logic is that Satan is black like coal because he is in hell, the logic is not that the African is bad like Satan, think a little.The actor playing Satan painted himself with a painting black if you noticed, even if he had taken a European, he would have painted black anyway. Stop now, denounce racism that does not exist, only perpetuate racism!"

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REPLY
35. Toure Ladji Mh, 2015
"+Antoinette Biloa lool"

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REPLY
36. adjovy, 2015
"+Antoinette Biloa loooool hihihi"

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37. MAMAN SO N'DAYE, 2015
"+Antoinette Biloa Bien dit ma sœur."
-snip-
"+ Antoinette Biloa Well said my sister."

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REPLY
38. MAMAN SO N'DAYE, 2015
"+Rab Kil On n'a pas besoin d’ etre forcement noir pour faire le mal. Donc ils pouvaient bien représenter Satan comme blanc avec de mauvais mobiles. Et ça réussi tjrs !!! Dans le clip ou les deux étaient représentés comme des noirs ou comme des blancs."
-snip-
+ Rab Kil One does not have to be black enough to do bad things. So they could well represent Satan as white with bad motives. And it always succeeds !!! In the clip or both were represented as blacks or as whites."

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39. MarzaLinsolente, 2015
"Regardez moi ca c'est quoi ce délire ? Jésus blanc et satan noir ? Comment cette vidéo a pu être diffusé à l'époque ca n'a choqué personne ? DU N'IMPORTE QUOI CONNARD d'aliéné"
-snip-
"Look at me what is this delirium? White Jesus and black satan? How was this video released at the time that did not shock anyone? FROM ANYTHING CONNARD of alienated"

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REPLY
40. princesse dejes, 2015
"Soyez simple parfois .. N'importe qui aurait pu jouer n'importe quel role que ca n'aurait rien change'. Vous-meme en les insultant, vous montrez que vous n'etes pas differente d'eux si jamais c'est le complexe d'inferiorite' qui les a inspire's
-snip-
"Be simple sometimes .. Anyone could have played any role that it would not have changed. By insulting them, you show that you are no diff erent from them if it is the inferiority complex that inspired them."

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REPLY
41. Deeo Mauricette, 2016
"c'est juste pour riiiîi"
-snip-
"it's just for the sake of"

**
REPLY
42. MarzaLinsolente, 2016
"Bien sur que non, c'est une mentalité qu'on a mis dans la tetes des noirs et beaucoup y croient."
-snip-
"Of course not, it is a mentality that has been put in the heads of blacks and many believe it."

**
REPLY
43. MAMAN SO N'DAYE, 2016
"Merci MarzaLinsolente , Toi au moins tu sais de quoi il s'agit.
Nous qui vivons sur leur continent, nous savons de quoi on parle."
-snip-
"Thank you MarzaLinsolente, You at least know what it is.
We who live on their continent, we know what we are talking about."

**
44. your highness, 2016
"Noir joue role de satan et blanc joue role de Jesus"
-snip-
"Black plays role of satan and white plays role of Jesus"

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REPLY
45. BAPYonguk GukGuk, 2016
"Junior Davis alienation etait super grave a l'epoque !!! maintenant information est plus a notre portee avec internet aussi. Alienation s'en va un peu un peu. Le son est bon quand meme"
-snip-
"Junior Davis alienation was super serious at the time! now information is more to our reach with internet too. Alienation goes a little bit. The sound is good anyway"

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REPLY
46. Lydia Ewande, 2016
"Junior Davis ce sont les séquelles de l'évangélisation colonialiste"
-snip-
"Junior Davis are the legacy of colonialist evangelization"

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47. CoraKäfer Marie, 2015
"can someone translate this in english please?"

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REPLY
48. Paule Andrée Tokale, 2015
"+CoraKäfer Marie he recounts the battle between jesus and satan. the man in black is white and the satan is jesus . and at the end it's jesus who won the fight . This is the summary of the song"

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49. SIAKA KONE, 2015
"ho pauvre de vous yode et siro, vous chantez bien mais vous rejetez le bien en l'homme noir par la même occasion en vous même . vous montrez aux autres que satan est noir et ce teins noir vous l'avez . en conclusion le noir est satan donc vous et le blanc est jesus"
-snip-
"poor man of you yode and siro, you sing well but you reject the good in the black man at the same time in yourself. you show others that satan is black and that black has you. in conclusion the black is satan so you and the white is jesus"

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50. Ngilane Ndao, 2015
"J'aime cette chanson trop mais je n'ai pas réellement respecter image qu'ils ont donné au peuple noir et blanc les gens et si vous voulez vraiment être véridiques et vrai Jésus était noir et l'Antéchrist ressemble à un blanc Cheveux blonds aux yeux bleus homme que les gens prétendent être Jésus même dans le Coran dans la Bible décrire Jésus avec sèche de laine comme un homme noir pas cheveux soyeux comme homme blanc"
-snip-
"I love this song too much but I do not really respect the image they gave the people black and white people and if you really want to be truthful and true Jesus was black and the Antichrist looks like a white blond hair with blue-eyed man that people claim to be Jesus even in the Qur'an in the Bible describe Jesus with dry wool like a black man not silky hair like white man"
-snip-
"I love this song too much" = "I really like this song a lot".

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51. actu infos RAchou actu infos RAchou, 2016
"donc satan est noir et jésus est blanc?lol"
-snip-
"so satan is black and jesus is white? Lol"

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52. narcisse zida, 2016
"erreur la est que satan etait noire et jesus blank. xa devrait etre tt a fait le contraire."
-snip-
"error is that satan was black and blank jesus. x should be done the opposite."

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53. Paco bayo, 2016
"Pourquoi lutter contre le racisme en épargnant le dieu des raciste qui n'a choisi que les blancs pour propager son message, choisi en plus une blanche pour son fils, son peuple élu est blanc, et ses principaux représentants sur terre sont toujours des blancs
Les africains christianisés ou islamisés savent que l'Occident n'y est pour rien pour nos malheurs , non c'est satan le coupable lol"
-snip-
"Why fight against racism by sparing the racist god who chose only whites to spread his message, chose a white for his son, his chosen people is white, and his main representatives on earth are still white
Christianized or Islamized Africans know that the West has nothing to do with our misfortunes, no it is satan the culprit lol"

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REPLY
54. Yohan Sanguy, 2017
"Paco bayo wsh your mouth c a clip"
-snip-
"Paco bayo wsh your mouth c a clip"

**
REPLY
55. LucibelleSuppafly !, 2018
"Que les Blancs??? La Reine de Sabbat, femme du Salomon est éthiopienne et Séphora la femme de Moise est noire. La sœur de Moise a été frappée de la peste par Dieu pour avoir proféré des paroles racistes sur elles. Le clip est mal fait, mais ne mélangeons pas tout...."
-snip-
"What whites ??? The Queen of the Sabbath, wife of the Solomon is Ethiopian and Zipporah the wife of Moses is black. Moses' sister was plagued by God for uttering racist words about them. The clip is poorly done, but do not mix everything ...."
-snip-
"What whites ??? The Queen of the Sabbath, wife of the Solomon is Ethiopian and Zipporah the wife of Moses is black. Moses' sister was plagued by God for uttering racist words about them. The clip is poorly done, but do not mix everything ...."

**
56. mam gyver, 2017
"Quand je lis les commentaires les gens ne retiennent que l'histoire de la représentation du bien et du mal avec le noir en Satan et le blanc en Jesus. Mais c'est et ça reste de l'humour. Dédicace à la chorée les gars sont trop fort la fin donne envie de danser. J'ai bien aimé le clip ça me fait toujours rire. Prendre tous ça au sérieux c'est dommage"
-snip-
"When I read the comments people only remember the story of the representation of good and evil with the black in Satan and the white in Jesus. But it's and it's still humorous. Dedication to chorea guys are too strong the end makes you want to dance. I liked the clip that always makes me laugh. Take it all seriously"

**
57. watchou franclin, 2018
"après plusieurs années quand je vois ce clip loin des émotion et hors mit la bonne qualité de la musique , le message vehiculer est idiot de notre part ,
il en résulte que finalement nous même on a accepte que le noir est une sous race ou tous ce qui est mauvais, et le blanc le paradis ou race supp.
bref c'est a nous et surtout au artiste de changer ce genre de détaille qui font la différence et peut faire office de référence pour d autre personne"
-snip-
"after several years when I see this clip away from emotion and off put the good quality of the music, the message convey is silly on our part,
The result is that finally we ourselves have accepted that black is a sub-race or all that is bad, and the white paradise or race supp.
In short it is up to us and especially the artist to change this kind of detail that make the difference and can serve as a reference for other people"

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Information About Côte d’Ivoire’s Zouglou Music & YouTube Examples Of Five 1990s Zouglou Classics

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about Côte d’Ivoire’s Zouglou music and showcases YouTube examples of five Zouglou classics.

Selected comments from some of these examples' discussion threads are also included in this post.

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The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all Zouglou musicians and singers in the past and present. Thanks to all showcased in this post and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT ZOUGLOU MUSIC
Excerpt #1
From https://www.musicinafrica.net/magazine/zouglou-c%C3%B4te-d%E2%80%99ivoire Zouglou in Côte d’Ivoire
By Anne Schumann Douosson [reprinted from Music In Africa blog/Lamine BA, 19 Feb 2015
"Zouglou is a modern musical genre, but one that has nonetheless undergone several changes since its creation. Zouglou music was declared moribund on several occasions, and the fact that it is still Côte d’Ivoire’s most popular genre speaks to the innovativeness and the resilience of this style and its artists.

[...]

The popularity of zouglou music partly stems from its position as a supra-ethnic, national musical genre - it not associated with any particular region or ethnic group. As a new, urban musical form, zouglou distinguishes itself through its use of the street-slang spoken in Abidjan.

The Origins of Zouglou

The musical roots of zouglou lie in the local Ivorian musical styles tohourou and aloucou from western Côte d’Ivoire, which became popular in the urban centres in the 1960s and 70s. The direct musical base of zouglou music grew out of what is known as ambiance facile or woyo: chants to percussive music on improvised instruments such as metal scrapers, glass bottles and of course drums. This music grew out of the songs that accompanied sports competitions in Côte d‘Ivoire‘s schools during the 1980s. Groups of students that called themselves “supporters committees” would accompany sports teams to the games and make up songs to encourage their teams. As school teams and their supporters committees travelled to matches against other schools across the country, they picked up new melodies and rhythms along the way.

Ambiance facile and woyo music sessions also became a popular past-time in Abidjan’s working class (popular) neighborhoods. In these multi-ethnic neighborhoods, children and teenagers would teach each other songs from their home regions. This mostly unrecorded leisure music is still popular across Côte d’Ivoire. Through the sports matches and neighborhood sessions, ambiance facile drew on rhythms and melodies from many different regions of Côte d’Ivoire. Zouglou music also drew on these rhythms and melodies and thus became the first musical style that was considered to be multi-ethnic and nationally representative of Côte d’Ivoire.

In 1990, zouglou was invented first as a dance among university students residing in the Yopougon student accommodation at the University of Cocody in Abidjan, now known as Felix Houphouet-Boigny University. This dance consisted of throwing one’s arms in the air with angular movements, mimicking an imploration to God to help the university students that were suffering under the budgetary cuts in the education sector (fewer scholarships, inadequate student housing, catering and transport, etc.).

Through the creative energy of the university students, the word “zouglou” became known to the general public. But why “zouglou”, and what does that mean? “Zouglou” in fact is a made-up word, a sort of inside joke to describe this particularly eccentric manner of dancing. However, in a seminal newspaper article about this new genre, this word was interpreted as referring to the Baoulé expression “be ti lè zouglou” (they’re piled up like rubbish). This was a reference to the poor housing conditions in the student dormitories.

[...]

First Generation

[...]

The first recorded zouglou songs are ‘Glogbo Koffi’ (1991) by Didider Bilé et les Parents du Campus Ambiance[i] and ‘Zomamanzo’ (1991) by Poignon and Zougloumania[ii] as well as ‘Ziopin (Faut pas fâcher)’ (1992) by Les Potes de la Rue[iii].

Since these beginnings, Zouglou has been known for its direct, outspoken song texts. Its earliest songs described the deteriorating living conditions of university students or poked fun of ethnic stereotypes. This revolutionized Ivorian music, which until then had typically carried subtler, coded messages.

Second Generation

During the mid-1990s, zouglou was said to be undergoing a severe crisis. Bands had split up, some of the key figures had left the country, and there were disputes and allegations of plagiarism among artists. However, along came two new groups that revolutionized the genre with very sharp satirical and politically engaged song texts: Yodé & Siro (then known as Poussins Chocs) with the song ‘Asec Kotoko’ (1996)[iv] and Les Salopards with their album Génération Sacrifiée (1997)[v]. This was the establishment of second generation of zouglou musicians, which includes some of the most popular zouglou groups, such as the Garagistes with the album Tapis Rouge (2003)[vi] and Espoir 2000 with the album Gloire à Dieu (2006)[vii].

Through its emphasis on social and political criticism, zouglou developed into a form of Ivorian counter-culture. Zouglou musicians represent the perspective of marginalized youth and social underdogs and have been very critical of the devastating behavior of the wealthy and politically powerful in Côte d’Ivoire. Zouglou artists see their role as speaking truth to power, because, according to a famous nouchi (Ivorian street slang) saying, gbê est mieux que drap: “the truth is better than shame”. Zouglou music gave the youth in Abidjan a platform from which to participate in the public debate.

[...]

The second generation was also the generation that was to take zouglou to international fame. In 2000 the song ‘Premier Gaou’ by the group Magic System[viii] became a hit across Africa as well as in the French charts. Magic System have since remained a presence in the French charts, mixing their zouglou with dance music.

Third Generation: Live Performances

Despite their popularity, many zouglou groups in Côte d’Ivoire were finding it difficult to survive financially from their music due to widespread copyright piracy. Zouglou music is predominantly locally produced and recorded, and pirated CDs and VCDs dominate the market. These informal modes of circulation have made the diffusion of zouglou music possible, while at the same time undermining the financial viability of the Ivorian music industry. Widespread copyright piracy has also put great financial pressure on Ivorian record labels: in late 2008, Showbiz, Côte d‘Ivoire’s largest record label that housed up to 80% of local releases, closed down as it was running at a loss. A large number of smaller labels have also closed due to bankruptcy.

Concerts and performances have remained a major source of income for zouglou musicians. Yet until recently zouglou singers performed live primarily via playback or backing tracks. Performances were also hampered by the lack of appropriate venues and the high cost of existing venues. For example, Abidjan’s showcase concert venue, the Palais de la Culture, is one of the most expensive in West Africa.

However, since the late 2000s there has been a new development: many new maquis (open air restaurants) have opened as new affordable performance spaces in which artists now perform live, rather than via playback. This trend is part of the growing professionalism of this musical genre. Les As du Zouglou, Les Pro du Zouglou, Connexion and Zouglou Makers (with their acclaimed album Djamo Djamo in 2014)[ix] are some of the groups of the third generation that regularly perform live in Abidjan. A number of zouglou artists also own and manage such live venues, which have become reference points for Abidjan’s nightlife.

Within a span of 20 years, zouglou music has gone from being the unrecorded past-time of university students to one of most popular musical genres of Côte d’Ivoire and a key part of Ivorian cultural identity. The genre’s popularity has spread beyond national borders across francophone West Africa. Despite the challenges posed by piracy, thanks to its innovative artists zouglou looks set to remain an important part of the country’s cultural landscape for many years to come."
-snip-
YouTube examples of most of the artists that are mentioned in this article are found below.

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Excerpt #2
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zouglou
"Zouglou is a dance oriented style of music originated from Côte d'Ivoire during the mid-1990s.[1] It started with students[1] from the University of Abidjan drawing on elements of other styles of music, especially zouk, ragga and soca 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, Cameroon and Gabon.

[...]

Zouglou emerged in the '90s as a musical genre and innovative Ivorian made by and for young people....

Popularity
Popular with the youth, the lyrics are written in local languages and French street slang,[1] and has parallels with the evolution of rap in the West. It uses humor[1] to depict anything going wrong in the society."...

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1: Didier Bile - Gbolo Koffi [1991]



Bi Tra, Published on Aug 31, 2008
-snip-
Here are five comments from this sound file's discussion thread, with English translations from French via Google translates. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
1. Snipeace Chris.H., 2008
"le Roi du Zouglou forever..c'est grace a lui ke le mouvement a ete lancé(zouglou,kpaklo,gnakpa) zouuuuuglou woha!!!"
-snip-
"the King of Zouglou forever.it is thanks to him ke the movement was launched (zouglou, kpaklo, gnakpa) zouuuuuglou woha !!!"

**
2. Patrick Cheah, 2008
"i spent 2 years in Cote d'Ivoire and this song brings back a lot of memories17 years later, wow. We all hope and pray things get better!"

**
3. HEAVENLY GATE PICTURE, 2011
"didier bile yuh are the man"
-snip-
"You are the man" is an American vernacular English saying which means "You are the one in charge/You are the best.

4. timite lamine, 2013
"ça me fait rappeler du bon vieux temps LE ZOUGLOU c'est une manière de se libérer en esprit compte tenu des vagues problèmes intempestifs dans la vie sociale et surtout en milieu estudiantin et scolaire" 
-snip-
"it reminds me of the good old days LE ZOUGLOU is a way to free oneself in the spirit given the vague untimely problems in social life and especially in school and school"

**
5. Gnamien Moise, 2018
"le seul genre musical ivoirien qui est resté ivoirien. on n'a pas encore vue un pays faire le zouglou a part la cote d'Ivoire. je suis fier. la musique ivoirienne des ivoiriens pour les ivoiriens par la ivoiriens. la belle musique"
-snip-
"the only Ivorian musical genre that remained Ivorian. we have not yet seen a country zouglou aside Ivory Coast. I am proud. Ivorian music of Ivorians for Ivorians by Ivorians. the beautiful music"

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Example #2: Zoulgoumania - Zomamanzo [1991]



Bi Tra, Published on Apr 23, 2017

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Example #3: Les Potes de la Rue--Faut pas facher(ziopin) [1992]



Ivorian Songs, Published on Nov 28, 2015

Faut pas facher faut t'amuser

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Example #4: Les Poussins Chocs (Asec Kôtôkô) [1996]



ivorycoast60, Published on Jun 7, 2009

Artiste: Les Poussins Chocs
Titre: Asec-kôtôkô
Album: Asec Kôtôko
Année: 1996
-snip-
Here are five comments from this video's discussion thread, with English translations from French via Google translates. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
1. RAGE INTAKT MUZIK, 2013
"200 milles cassettes vendus en 1 semaine"
-snip-
"200 thousand cassettes sold in 1 week"

**
2. Victor Paye, 2014
"What is he saying ? Sucks I don't speak french"

**
REPLY
3. Mohamed Diaby, 2014
"He is singing about the asec-kotoko incident"
-snip-
The Asec-Kotoko incident" refers to violence, injuries, and killing that occurred in 1993 between Côte d’Ivoirians and Ghanaians as a result of a football (soccer) game. https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/SportsArchive/Compensate-victims-of-violence-after-1993-Kotoko-Asec-match-83688
"Compensate victims of violence after 1993 Kotoko-Asec match" Soccer News of Wednesday, 15 June 2005

Here's an excerpt from that article:
"Tuesday called on the Governments of Ghana and La C=F4te d'Ivoire to immediately compensate victims of violence that erupted after a match between Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Ivorian club Asec Mimosa in 1993.

They attributed the long delay to deep seated differences among members of the Joint Committee appointed by the two countries to determine the extent of loss of life and injuries and the security threat it posed to the relations between the two sister countries. The Experts that included serving and retired Military, Police, and Immigration Officers, were contributing to a discussion on: "Ghana's Foreign Policy in the West African Sub-region: The Challenges 1992 to 2005," organised by the African Security Dialogue and Research (ASDR) in Accra.

"Justice delayed is justice denied," they said. "The long silence on the payment of just and adequate compensation to the victims on both sides has created an underground security current with the potential of exploding at the least provocation." "

**
4. Mouhamed rasta, 2017
"Super souvenir c était bon,"
-snip-
Great memory it was good,
Alpha Power, 2017
"Yesssss💃💃💃💃Im still dancing to this great music in 2k17✌✌ to my Ivorian people💃💃💃💃"

**
5. Perfect Luce, 2018
"2018 Je suis présent ouiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii ce sont les vrais qui me donne l'inspiration pour de nouveaux tubes"
-snip-
"2018 I am present yesiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii these are the real ones that gives me inspiration for new tubes"

****
Example #5: Les Salopards / Sans Papiers [1997]



La Dépêche d'Abidjan TV, Published on Apr 22, 2009
-snip-
Here are five comments from this video's discussion thread, with English translations from French via Google translates. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
1. Sonde Adama, 2013
"Esclavage,traite négrière,colonisation,dévaluation...aujourd'hui ils nous chassent de chez eux après avoir combattu et construit pour eux,sèches tes larmes AFRIQUE,sèches tes larmes!!"
-snip-
"Slavery, slave trade, colonization, devaluation ... today they drive us from their homes after fighting and building for them, dry your tears AFRICA, dry your tears!"

**
2. Silue Bazoumana, 2015
"Très belle chanson en rappel de la non reconnaissance des droits des noirs après tant de souffrances et d exploitation de la part de l'homme blanc"
-snip-
"Very beautiful song reminding of the non recognition of the rights of the blacks after so much suffering and exploitation on the part of the white man"

**
3. pangni pascal, 2015
"ce groupe était visionnaire a travers ces textes"
-snip-
"this group was visionary through these texts"

**
4. Isaac Witherspone, 2015
"Pourquoi on quitte chez vous pour occidentale ? A cause de votre stupidité, ont n'a arrive pas à gérer vos d'affaires. Chez-nous même quand quelqu'un est payé pour bien travailler ils ne le font pas. Un 'Sans papier' en Europe à plus de dignité que une citoyenne en Côte d'ivoire. En Côte d'ivoire un policier peut te frapper quand il veut et comme il veut pour rien. Chez-nous on n'a arrive pas à voyager librement dans nos propres Pays a cause de peur 'les genres de ordres'."
-snip-
"Why do we leave for westerners? Because of your stupidity, have not managed to manage your business. At home even when someone is paid to work well they do not do it. A 'paperless' in Europe with more dignity than a citizen in Côte d'Ivoire. In Ivory Coast a policeman can hit you when he wants and as he wants for nothing. At home we have not been able to travel freely in our own countries because of fear 'the kinds of orders'.:

**
5. Guy Armel BEKE, 2018
"Vraiment touchant le son, courage à nos frères de l autre côté !!!! Merci aux artistes pour le son"
-snip-
"Really touching the sound, courage to our brothers on the other side !!!! Thanks to the artists for the sound"

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RELATED LINK
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/03/magic-system-cote-divoire-band-1er-gaou.html for the 2017 pancocojams post "Magic System (Cote D'Ivoire Band) - "Premier Gaou ("1er Gaou") Video & Lyrics".

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Magic System (Ivory Coast Band) - Premier Gauo (1er Gauo) Video & Comments

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on the song "1er Gaou" (also known as Premier Gaou") by Cote d Ivorian group Magic System.

Part II presents the same video of "1er Gaou" that was showcased in Part I and presents selected comments from that video's YouTube discussion thread.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/03/magic-system-cote-divoire-band-1er-gaou.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents information about the Ivorian Creole language "Nouchi", the language that is used for this song. This post also provides information about the song "1er Gaou" and showcases a video of that song. The Nouchi lyrics for "ier Gaou"' are included in this post along with their English translation.

The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Magic Systems for their musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video and this sound file on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT "1er GAOU" ("PREMIER GAOU")
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1er_Gaou
" "1er Gaou" is a song by Ivorian Zouglou artists Magic System, taken from the album of the same name. The title literally means "First Fool" in Ivorian slang. The song contains an autobiographical account of lead singer Salif "A'Salfo" Traoré about his ex-girlfriend who tried to hook up with him again when he became famous. Originally recorded in 1999, it became smash indie hit in France three years later. The song meant the breakthrough of little-known Magic System.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Magic System - Premiere Gaou



ahnd Uploaded on Dec 17, 2006

music video
-snip-
There are other several videos and sound files of this song on YouTube. Most of the comments in some of those discussion threads are in French.

Here are selected comments from this video's discussion thread that focus on the song "Premier Gauo" and this video. Numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only.

2010
1. mikaylarosa
"i love dis song!! dey play it everywhere..from the caribbean to the Afrcan countries.."

**
2. M. Stroud
"The dance they hit at 3:00 and 3:06 is HOT! It's like the best moves you can hit for this type of music."

**
3. AALBEREZANCHI
"would really like a translation of what they are saying. what language is it ?"

**
Reply
4. Colombe D6
"@AALBEREZANCHI

du dioula et noushi (argot ivoirien)"
-snip-
Google translate from French to English:
"Of dioula and noushi (Ivorian slang)"

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2011
5. Ruthhxo
"Once you hear this song at an african party, EVERYBODYS on the dancefloor. Lls #TeamAfrican"

**
6. Andy Gussie
"I like this song it takes me back 11 years. It brings back so much good memories. We played this allot in the Caribbean islands, especially the French ones."

**
7. ifebarbz07
"Love this tune, played at my wedding 7 years ago, but only the parents knew what the name was!! Love it, such a classic tune!!"

**
8. AmyGrl595
"it's not a true african party if this song is not played (:"

**
9. muffinpookieful
"oh my lawd, the memories from this song. haha, good times man."

**
10. Kpopluvr94
"this and MY MOTHA SWEET MOTHA are the african party jams."

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2012
11. Ivory King
"this song is from la cote d'ivoire(Ivory coast) its not nigerian"

**
12. rotawo
"we know we are just showing how much Nigerians love the song"

**
13. Adaobi M. Okonkwo
"IF THEY DONT PLAY THIS JAM, THE JOLLOF WILL NOT DIGEST PROPER!!"

**
14. Dai Z
"It's about an aspiring artist whose girlfriend left him because he was broke. after his hard work finally pays off, she wants him back. He knows that he was not a gaou (a foolish man) the first time by letting her go, but if he takes her back now, he will be a gaou.."

**
15. Dai Z
"It's French with Ivorian "slang" (for lack of a better word)..."

**
Reply
16. rianna richards
"Its not in french..."

**
Reply
17. S.E.M Asantehene
"Not really, its mix of Ivorian languages, slang and french :P"

**
18. Africanbomba
"How to spot an African in a crowd: Play this song and watch for the headbobs and smiles. This is def one of the greatest African tunes.....from Ghana with love :)"

**
19. warsaminho
"At 1:06 you see a young Booba entering the club :-). Footballer Olivier Kapo also in the clip !!"
-snip-
Booba - a French rapper of African descent; "footballer" = [American term] soccer player

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2013
20. Elijah Smith
"He's talking about this woman Antou. They were together but she left him when he ran out of money and got with someone else. Then he breaks through, she comes back to him and then finally leaves her. The chorus is saying something to the effect of "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me""

**
21. NappyHappyDrumMajor
"THIS SONG GOOO HARD IN DA PARTIES!!!!"

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2014
22. Sonny Higham
"African Song Hall of Fame right here"

**
23. Jasmine Mutunga
"I'm from kenya and when I was a kid I would hear this song at every wedding, fundraiser, party, etc and since I didn't know swahili I always just assumed they were just singing in swahili lol. such a nice song... brings back so many childhood memories... much love. x"

**
24. Zuri Ten
"Dare I say ...best African pop song loved all over the continent and even half the people have no idea what its about....."

**
25. Siyomnqoba Xolo
"A house version of this track was famous in South Africa about 12 years ago"

**
26. Mokgatla Molepo, 2016
"I first heard this song on Dj Oskido (South Africa) album more than 14 years ago"

**
27. MsPrincessaj
"Wow. When I was in South Africa ten years ago, I bought a dj Oskido CD and shared it with my friends back in Washington, DC"

**
28. Zabu Ramafikeng, 2017
"This is the kind of ish that makes me african......... Oskido had a remix of this song on Oskido's church grooves the 2nd commandment its out of this world...... All the love from south africa...."
-snip-
For the sake of continuity, I put these three comments after the comment about "Premier Gaou" being included in a South African house music album.

**
29. Larissa
"No matter where you're from in Africa, this song is a household song. I'm Zambian and this song is played at every function. I love it."

**
30. FranandSofia
"Just to make it clear this song is an Ivorian song (from Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire). This song is not from Nigeria, Congo, Cameroon, and or Ghana. I know this because my mother is from there, and also all the group members are from there."

**
Reply
31. KingEvoTheDon
"Why does it matter?, if you're African and you enjoy the song just enjoy the song. No disrepct"

**
32. oppqt1, 2015
"+FranandSofia I join everybody else with the same comment, does it matter? Not at all. This song is waaaaaaaaaaaay above these type of divisive sh&t*. It's an African son[g], as an African, love it and proud of the work done by Magic System. Thanks and congrats forever..."
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this comment.

**
33. Chocolate Sauce
"I'm of Nigerian descent, I don't even understand the words to the song.. But since it's played constantly at African parties I have grown fond of it."

**
Reply
34. jiggar22
"This guys are from Abidjan, from ivory coast but this song was a big hit here in Lagos, Nigeria."

**
Reply
35. stomy bugsy
"+Chocolate Sauce they're speaking French this song came out in France in 1999"

**
Reply
36. stomy bugsy
"You're welcome my friend, i grew up listening to this song in France. It was very popular."

**
Reply
37. Corey Noll
"+stomy bugsy
they're speaking nouchi"

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2015
38. Nomai B
"If you go to an African party and they don't play this song. Go home! Just take your jollof and go home!😂😂😹"

**
Reply
39. Hyacinth Bucket, 2016
"+Nomai B lol this group is very famous in France,they have a hit every summer"

**
40. Fadjy Valentin
"When I was younger, I heard this at every Haitian party and I've been looking for this song forever and today I came across it. Almost cried"

**
Reply
41. riku marcelin
"+Fadjy Valentin Bruh I heard this everywhere in Haiti!"

****
2016
42. MsPrincessaj
"Sak passé! I lived in Washington, DC when this song came out a they played it at all the African parties. It wasn't until I took a trip to Haiti almost a year after it came out, that I heard it through my hotel window in Petionville one Friday night. I jumped out the bed and started dancing!! Big up to Haiti and the African Diaspora!!"
-snip-
Here's an entry about "sak passe" from
"sak pase
creole(haitian)4 what's happenin.
1st person:sak pase
2nd: map boule(i'm good)"
by christine February 18, 2004

**
43. Psynames Synames
"i dont understand or a word said in this song but i love it. and i dance to it to the fullest kkkk"
-snip-
"kkk" = internet symbols for laughter in Brazil

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2017
44. Its Ripzz
"im from Mauritius small african island and this was my childhood im 17 now"

**
45. simba sakuhuni
"hahahaha ah I don't even comprehend wat u singing, but we danced to this zimbabwe in the late 90s"

**
46. KordeiNation
"EVERY African knows this song no matter east or west"

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This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Magic System (Cote D'Ivoire Band) - "Premier Gaou ("1er Gaou") Video & Lyrics

Edited by Azizi Powell

Revised March 4, 2018

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on the song "1er Gaou" (also known as Premier Gaou") by Cote d Ivorian group Magic System.

Part I presents provides information about the song "Premier Gao" ("1er Gaou") and showcases a video of that song. The Nouchi lyrics for "ier Gaou"' are included in this post along with their English translation.

The Addendum to this post provides information about the Ivorian Creole language "Nouchi", the language that is used for this song. This post also

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/03/magic-system-ivory-coast-band-premier.html for Part II presents the same video of "1er Gaou" that was showcased in Part I and presents selected comments from that video's YouTube discussion thread.

The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Magic Systems for their musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of this video on YouTube.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Magic System - Premiere Gaou



ahnd Uploaded on Dec 17, 2006

music video

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "1er GAOU" (PREMIER GAOU")
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1er_Gaou
" "1er Gaou" is a song by Ivorian Zouglou artists Magic System, taken from the album of the same name. The title literally means "First Fool" in Ivorian slang. The song contains an autobiographical account of lead singer Salif "A'Salfo" Traoré about his ex-girlfriend who tried to hook up with him again when he became famous. Originally recorded in 1999, it became smash indie hit in France three years later. The song meant the breakthrough of little-known Magic System.

Background

"1er Gaou" is based on autobiographical experiences of lead singer Salif "A'Salfo" Traoré. When he was an aspiring, poor artist, his girlfriend left him, but when he became a celebrity with Magic System, she tried to win him back, but Traoré turned her down.[1] The song was first released in 1999 in their native Abidjan and was at first a hit in Côte d'Ivoire and other African countries only. But when it was remixed in 2002 and released in France for Mélina Forthin, Magic System's song became a major indie hit.

Lyrics
[...]

The lyrics feature a colorful patois of French-Ivorian slang. This is especially evident in the refrain of "Et on dit premier gaou n'est pas gaou oh / C'est deuxième gaou qui est niata oh ah" ("They say that the first fool is not a fool / It is the second fool who is a fool"), which expresses that his first folly (her leaving him) is not really a folly at all, only accepting her back would be.

Chart performances

The single topped at number four on the French charts and remained in the top 100 for 28 weeks, ten of them in the top ten[2] and sold as many as 300,000 copies in France. …
The single was also a top ten hit in Belgium (Wallonia), peaked at number ten in it ninth week, and appeared in the top 40 for 15 weeks.[4] In Switzerland, the single had a moderate success, peaking at number 30 and staying in the top 100 for nine weeks.[5]"...
-snip-
This Wikipedia page doesn't note that Magic System's song "1er Goaou" has been and still is very popular throughout Africa, and throughout the French speaking Caribbean, and other parts of the world, especially where [20th century and 21st century] African immigrants live. That popularity is documented by commenters in the YouTube discussion threads of that song. Selected examples of those comments are highlighted in Part II of this pancocojams series.

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LYRICS - 1er GAOU*
(Magic System)

C'est dans ma galère que la go
Antou m'a quitté oh ah
{x4}

Quand j'avais un peu
Matin midi soir
On été ensemble
A la rue Princesse
Aux mille maquis
Santos payait les poulets
L'argent est fini
Antou a changé de côté
Wari ban nan
Elle a changé de copain

Nan guin nan wan, nan guin nan wan
Nan guin nan wan, nan guin nan wan

Dieu merci pour moi je savais chanter un peu
J'ai fait ma cassette oh on me voit à la télé
Matin midi soir c'est moi je chante à la radio
Antou a vu çà elle dit le gaou a percé
Attends je vais partir le couper

{Refrain:}
Et on dit premier gaou n'est pas gaou oh
C'est deuxième gaou qui est niata oh ah
Et on dit premier gaou n'est pas gaou oh
C'est deuxième gaou qui est niata oh ah

Dimanche matin koko on frappe à ma porte
A ma grande surprise c'est la go Antou je vois
On s embrasse j'ai dit y'a longtemps qu'on c'est plus revu
Elle veut me mentir Elle dit chéri j'avais voyagé
Je suis de retour
Je t'appartiens
Prends-moi cadeau, fais ce que tu veux

{au Refrain}

J'ai dit chéri koko qu'est ce que tu veux manger
Sans même hésiter Elle me dit poulet braisé

J'ai dit chéri koko c'est poulet tu veux manger
Poulet est trop petit çà peut pas te rassasier
C'est caïman braisé, je vais te donner
Kedjenou d'éléphant, tu vas manger

Nan guin nan wan, nan guin nan wan

Elle est fâché Elle dit elle s'en va à la maison
Si elle va à la maison population va me tuer
Je lui ai demandé pardon, elle a accepté
A un moment donné, elle a tout gâté
Elle est quitté dans poulet, elle s'en va dans aloco
Si c'est aloco c'est pas compliqué
C'est plantation de bananes
Tu vas griller
Au lieu de fourchette, ça peut pas bien piquer
C'est avec râteau, tu vas manger oh"

Source: https://genius.com/Magic-system-premier-gaou-lyrics

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1er GAOU (PREMIER GAOU) [English translation with notes]

"it's when i was down that the gal Antou left me oh ah {x4}

when i had little(money)
morning noon evening
we were together
at the "Rue Princesse" ( famous Abidjan bar)
at the "Mille Maquis" (famous Abidjan bar)
together at the""inaudible" oh (famous abidjan bar)
when the money was gone
Antou changed side
wari bana (means "no more money" in african dialect)
she changed boyfriend

na gnere na gnere wa, na gnere na gnere wah (means you are crazy in african dialect)

thank god for me, i knew how to sing a little
i did my demo tape, people saw me on TV
morning noon evening its me singing on radio
Antou saw that and said the fool made it (GAOU means FOOL in slang)
wait, let me go and take his money (like scam him)

{Refrain:}
and we say first fool is not a fool
its the second fool who is the real fool
and we say first fool is not a fool
its the second fool who is the real fool
(african verison of "fool me once shame on you,fool me twice shame on me"

sunday morning knock knock someone's knocking at my door
to my great surprise it's the gal Antou i see
jokingly i say its been a while we've seen each other
(wrong translation on your original he says "EN SEMBLANT" not "ON S'EMBRASSE")
she wants to lie to me she says darling i had traveled
i am back
i belong to you
take me as a gift and do what you want with me

{au Refrain}

i say sweet darling what do you want to eat
without hesitation she says barbecued chicken
when we say first fool is not a fool
its the second fool who is the real fool
i say sweet darling, its chicken you want to eat
chicken is too small and wont satisfy you
its barbecued cayman i will give you
"kedjenou" of elephant you are going to eat (kedjenou is an african dish)

na gnere na gnere wah, na gnere na gnere wah

she is upset and says she is going home
if she goes home, horniness is going to kill me
(coagulation means like coagulated sperm for lack of sex)
i ask for her forgiveness and she accepted
then at one point, she messed it all up
she stop asking for chicken and now wants alloco (alloco its an african fried plantain dish)
if its alloco,its not complicated
its a banana plantation
that you are going to fry
instead of a fork
that cant fill you up
its with a rake that you are going to eat
na gnere na gnere wa, na gnere na gnere wah
{au Refrain}

Kader fool oh ah
Blé go fool oh ah
Soro guillaume fool oh ah
Sabine yo so fool oh ah
Angelo fool oh ah
Hotorino fool oh ah
Blé niata oh ah
Dieu fit niata oh ah
Kader niata oh ah
Kader tu m'a niata oh ah
Blé niata oh ah
Michel is a fool oh ah
Emile is a fool oh ah

Honoré fool oh ah
i sAy you dance ah oh ah
look at your stuff oh ah
i say you dance ah oh ah

Nan guin nan wan, nan guin nan wan
Oh youdance ah oh ah

{au Refrain}"


Submitted by blackstar18 on Tue, 06/04/2010 - 06:49

Author's [blackstar18]'s comments:
"i am French but lived in Ivory coast where Magic System comes from and i can see that there are many mistakes on the original French lyrics that you have uploaded. also this song cannot be translated word for words as it would make no sense because most of the words are african slang so i translated into what it really meant instead."

Source: http://lyricstranslate.com/en/premier-gaou-premier-gaou.html-0

Links to three other English translations and at least one French translation are on that page.

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ADDENDUM: INFORMATION ABOUT NOUCHI (LANGUAGE)
Excerpt #1:
From https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nouchi&prev=search Nouchi [translated from French to English and given in this post "as is" with no attempt to change the translation to standard English.]

"Nouchi (or Noussi) is a form of slang present in Ivory Coast and West Africa .

Origin
The nouchi (or noussi) is a mixture of French and several languages of Cote d'Ivoire , it appeared in the early 1980s 1 . It was originally spoken by young city dwellers who were ill-educated or delinquent, who did not have a good command of the French language . The Nouchi was practiced by them especially near markets, stations, cinemas before being carried in most social strata. The language of the little thugs, the Nouchi became the language of the Ivorian popular comedy, even of the Ivorian music . It is also the language of the "debrouille" in the poor districts of Abidjan . " Nou " in malinké means "the nose", while " chi " means hair. This gives in a word, "hair of nose" therefore "mustache" to designate the villain, to whom everyone wanted to resemble. A " nouchi " is a strong man (notably a Mexican bandit leader of the westerns who is often a mustachio), feared by all and fearful of nothing and nobody. The nouchi was popularized especially by the song Premier gaou of the group Magic System 3 .

Description
The nouchi was born in Côte d'Ivoire , but it is not known who owns the paternity. This language feeds on the many dialects of the country and French . The speakers of this language are called "nouchis".
Nevertheless, the nouchi differs from the familiar language in Côte d'Ivoire. For the familiar language, the sentences will be devoid of their articles, and adverbs like "there" punctuate the end of sentence.
Many terms of the nouchi aim to evoke social phenomena specific to the Ivory Coast...

Construction of sentences
Nouchi is a language that is based on short sentences or additions of terms drawn from the experience of the street, English, French and Ivorian ethnic groups or even those of the West African subregion. However, there are expressions specific to nouchis and ziguéhis (the bad-boys of the Abidjan ghettos)...
Some terms are sometimes used in a pejorative way, such as "gaou", "gnata", "albert" and "brézo". The gaou is the naive person, his state is less serious than that of gnata. The latter presents a difficulty of adaptation. The "albert" or the "brézo" is the one that persists in the maladjustment. The formation of expressions is unlimited and develops according to happy or unhappy events. It is a language in full expansion in Côte d'Ivoire, which inspires and is inspired by popular culture...

Origin of expressions
Strongly based on French, he uses English and Spanish words 4 , inserted by the pupils, with words from almost all the languages ​​spoken in Côte d'Ivoire. However, Malinké and Baoulé 5 , the most widely represented ethnic groups in the markets and popular squares, are highly dominant.

The nouchi also has the particularity to vary according to the environment and evolve very quickly, taking inspiration from current events."...
-snip-
This page includes a list of Nouchi words.

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Excerpt #2:
From http://www.lingref.com/cpp/acal/44/paper3142.pdf "Nouchi as a Distinct Language: The Morphological Evidence" by Hannah Sande

"Introduction
In this paper I argue that Nouchi, a relatively young Ivoirian contact variety, is and should be treated as a full-fledged language distinct from French and its other source languages. Nouchi, an emerging language spoken in Côte d’Ivoire since that late 1970’s (Ayewa 2005), has been treated in the literature as a slang vocabulary or an urban youth dialect of French. Though Nouchi began as a lingua franca among uneducated youth in urban centers, it is now the preferred language of Ivoirians in Abidjan and the surrounding areas of Côte d’Ivoire (Kube-Barth 2009). This paper focuses on morphological properties of Nouchi, which demonstrate that Nouchi is a full-fledged language with a grammar distinct from its source languages...

2. Background of Nouchi
Nouchi is a contact language that emerged on the streets of urban Côte d’Ivoire between the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. It began as the lingua franca of uneducated, unemployed youth, though it quickly gained status as the language of Ivoirian identity (Kouadio 2005; Kube 2004; Newell 2009). Abidjan and the other urban areas of Côte d’Ivoire are centers of language contact, home to over 66 different languages. While most of the languages spoken in the area are linked with a local ethnic identity, Nouchi is not specific to a given ethnic group. Due to its ethnic neutrality and daily use, first by urban youth, Nouchi has spread rapidly (Kouadio 2005). It is the language most frequently used in the Ivoirian Zouglou style of music, and it has been promoted online through dictionaries, satirical news sites, and chat rooms.

Though Nouchi began as an urban youth language (Kiessling and Mous 2004), it is now the preferred language of 10-30 year olds in Abidjan, and is commonly spoken by Ivoirains of all ages (Ayewa 2005). This statistic is particularly significant because 66 percent of Abidjan’s population is under 25 years old (Kouadio 2005). Though most children in Abidjan grow up speaking more than one language in the home, Kube-Barth (2009) and Kouadio (2005) call Nouchi the native language of the current generation of urban Ivoirians." ...
-snip-
According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup%C3%A9-D%C3%A9cal%C3%A9 , the words "Coupé-Décalé" come from the Nouchi language:
"Coupé-Décalé is a type of popular dance music originating from Côte d'Ivoire and the Ivorian diaspora in Paris, France. Drawing heavily from Zouglou and Zouk with African influences, Coupé-Décalé is a very percussive style featuring African samples, deep bass, and repetitive minimalist arrangements.

History
While Coupé-Décalé is known as Côte d'Ivoire's definitive pop music, it actually began in Paris, created by a group of Ivorian DJs at the Atlantis, an African nightclub in northeast Paris.[1][2] These Djs, known as the 'Jet Set', became popular for their flamboyant style, often showing up at the club with large amounts of cash which they would hand out to audiences on the dance floor. Their aesthetic defined the early sounds of Coupé Décalé, apparent in the genre's name. In Nouchi (Ivorian slang), Coupé means "to cheat" and Décalé means to "run away", so Coupé-Décalé basically means to cheat somebody and run away.[1] The 'somebody' cheated is generally interpreted to mean France or the West/Europe, finding parallels to the idea of "The Man" in American culture. Especially in the beginning, the songs often celebrated those who had used guile to 'make it' abroad."
-snip-
I added italics added to highlight that sentence.

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This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series.

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Visitor comments are welcome.