Dobet Gnahore: artiste with a difference

Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

In strengthening the intercultural relationship between Jamaica and France, the Alliance Française de la Jamaïque will introduce the public to Grammy Award-winning artiste Dobet Gnahoré.

The African artiste will be in concert at the Philip Sherlock Centre, University of the West Indies, Mona, on Sunday. Gnahoré, who is a singer, dancer and percussionist from the Ivory Coast, will visit Jamaica as part of her Caribbean tour.

At a press conference at the Spanish Court Hotel, New Kingston, yesterday morning, Dr Francoise Cevaer, president of the Alliance Française, said Gnahoré is being brought to Jamaica as part of this year's Heritage Week celebration, as the theme is 'International Year for People of African Descent'.

"French does not only belong to French people or France. It is this diversity that makes French so special, and that's why we wanted to share Dobet with Jamaica," she said.

Speaking with The Gleaner afterwards, Alliance Française Amandine Poret explained that Gnahoré was chosen to perform in the island because of her message and what she stands for.

Magic onstage

"She was chosen because she speaks more than 20 African dialects. She's magic onstage. She's already famous in Africa, Europe and North America but not yet in the Caribbean, but she will be very soon because she got a Grammy Award last year with India.Arie and she is rising," Poret said.

"She sings messages of hope and she is very concerned about what happens now for the youth, women, children. It's very interesting. She wants as many young Africans and people of the world united and a free Africa, and that's very important. She is not just a normal artiste, she is much more than that. She is great."

But Gnahoré will not be the only performer at Sunday's show that begins at 6 p.m. She will be joined by her musicians like Colin Laroche de Feline, Clive Govinder, and Yves William Ombe Monkama. There will also be a performance by Ouida Lewis and her students from the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, as well as Maurice Gordon.

With Gnahoré and the other performers taking the stage, Poret said the audience is in for a good show.

"My expectation is for the Jamaican public to discover a great young African artiste and brilliant artiste for the closure of Heritage Week, and share with the intercultural dialogue between France, Jamaica and Ivory Coast. It's really a discovery for Jamaica because they don't really know the artiste yet, and this could be a very special end to the week," she said.