{"id":42365,"date":"2018-05-08T13:14:36","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T12:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/pierre-sandwidi-the-troubadour-from-the-bush\/"},"modified":"2020-11-19T11:19:41","modified_gmt":"2020-11-19T10:19:41","slug":"pierre-sandwidi-the-troubadour-from-the-bush","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/pierre-sandwidi-the-troubadour-from-the-bush\/","title":{"rendered":"Pierre Sandwidi, the troubadour from the bush"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/h3>\n

Twenty years after he died, french label Born Bad Records pays\u00a0tribute\u00a0to Pierre Sandwidi, one of West Africa\u2019s most outstanding and adamant artist.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Born in 1947 in Boulsa, a small village in central Upper Volta, Pierre Sandwidi studied at the Zinda Kabor\u00e9 high school in Ouaga in the early 60s.<\/p>\n

Popular music that sprung up from Burkina Faso owed much to the music from neighboring countries like Mali, Ghana, Ivory Coast or Benin, and to the longing for \u201ccultural authenticity\u201d<\/em>\u00a0conveyed through Guinean music. In capital city Ouagadougou, as well as in Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina\u2019s cultural capital until the 1980s), the first two decades of independence saw the upcoming of such orchestras and artists as Amadou Balak\u00e9, Georges Ouedraogo, Volta Jazz, l\u2019Harmonie Volta\u00efque, Les Imbattables L\u00e9opards, Abdoulaye Ciss\u00e9, Tidiane Coulibaly or Pierre Sandwidi.<\/p>\n

Nicknamed \u201cthe\u00a0<\/em>troubadour from the bush\u201d<\/em>, Pierre Sandwidi stands as one of the finest Voltaic artists from the 1970s. He belonged to an unsung elite of Francophone artists such as Francis Bebey, G.G. Vickey, Am\u00e9d\u00e9e Pierre, Andr\u00e9-Marie Tala, Pierre Tchana or Mamo Lagbema. His entire released output consists of less than ten 7 inches, two LPs and a bunch of cassettes. A man from the provinces, he always favored social engagement and carefully crafted lyrics over instant fame. His words and music challenged General Lamizana\u2019s dreary presidency, which ruled the country from 1966 to 1980.<\/p>\n

Along with his friends Jean-Bernard Sambou\u00e9, Abdoulaye Ciss\u00e9, Oger Kabor\u00e9, Joseph Salamb\u00e9r\u00e9 or Richard Seydou Traor\u00e9, he was part of the \u201cvedettes en herbe\u201d\u00a0<\/em>movement. Their songs were played on the national radio before even getting the chance to be released on a single, recorded live in the studio \u2013 a straightforward technique favored by most Voltaic musicians over the decade.<\/p>\n

In 1970, Pierre Sandwidi traveled across the country, working for the state and learning much from the Upper Volta\u2019s many cultures and history. Involved in trade unions, he followed his own musical path. He observed changes at stake in his native country. In 1971, he won the first prize in the \u2018modern singers\u2019 category of a national competition. He also joined as a guitar player the National Ballet of Upper Volta, modeled after Guinea\u2019s \u201cAfrican Ballets\u201d. With them, he traveled to Niger, Ivory Coast and Benin, before visiting Canada in 1973.<\/p>\n

Back home, he met Bobo-Dioulasso cultural entrepreneur and Volta Jazz boss Idrissa Kon\u00e9, who offered him to record a few songs for his own imprint, Disques Paysans Noirs. Sandwidi then delivered\u00a0Lucie<\/em><\/strong>, a romantic song in the classic mandingo vein (\u2018diarabi<\/em>\u2019 or \u2018love song\u2019), while combining Afro-Cuban influences (by way of Congo) with French songs. He only had his bicycle and a guitar to conquer his young love, while others drove cars or rode motorbikes. Penniless but full of love, he walked in the steps of both Abdoulaye Ciss\u00e9\u2019s\u00a0L\u2019homme \u00e0 la guitare\u00a0<\/em>and Amadou Balak\u00e9\u2019s\u00a0Bar Konon Mousso.<\/em><\/p>\n

As a trade unionist and a member of the African Independence Party, he opposed General Lamizana\u2019s politics, denouncing the lack of morality and the corrupted new administration in Ouagadougou, while praising the virtues of the working class and the wisdom of farmers. In 1975, Pierre Sandwidi recorded two more singles at the Maison du Peuple for CVD (Compagnie Volta\u00efque du Disque). Using an Akai recorder as a soundboard, he was backed by Super Volta\u2019s mighty guitar player D\u00e9sir\u00e9 Traor\u00e9. In spite of such a raw recording environment, his mature voice revealed new harmonic possibilities.<\/p>\n

In 1976, he recorded 3 more 45s with L\u2019Harmonie Volta\u00efque as a backing band.\u00a0Tond yabramba\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(\u201cOur ancestors\u201d<\/em>) was the peak of this fruitful collaboration. A sinuous organ allowed Sandwidi to reach new heights, with a stunning melody that became instantly familiar. Recounting his country\u2019s chaotic history, it stood as one of the continent\u2019s best political songs. A true lesson of history, this song has been played enough on the radio to gain cult status.<\/p>\n

In 1977, he delivered the amazing\u00a0Yamb ney capitale\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(\u201cYou and your capital\u201d<\/em>), one of his best songs, with masterful guitar by Super Volta\u2019s D\u00e9sir\u00e9 Traor\u00e9. Once again, he fought against ailing morality and rising individualism in the country\u2019s capital. Sandwidi praised the virtues of country dwellers, enhanced by Ghanaian lo-fi keyboards wiz Father Ben. The b-side\u00a0Mam ti fou\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>is another instant classic, dealing with the loss of identity and an ever-increasing race for profit. This single sold over 3,000 copies, a true achievement in one of the world\u2019s most destitute countries.<\/p>\n

In 1979, while in Abidjan, Pierre Sandwidi recorded his first full length LP with the help of Voltaic Prince Edouard Ouedraogo. It confronted once again his country\u2019s true state of affairs. He launched his own \u2018callao<\/em>\u2019 dance, as a homage to this Sahelian bird that bounces instead of walking.<\/p>\n

During the Sankara years (1983-1987), Sandwidi took part in the cultural animation of his neighborhood as a militant of the mighty CDR (Comit\u00e9 de D\u00e9fense de la R\u00e9volution). After Sankara\u2019s fall in 1987, Sandwidi distanced himself from politics, focusing on writing new songs and plays. In 1995, he delivered his last piece of music:\u00a0Cousin Halidou<\/em>, released through Moussa Kabor\u00e9\u2019s Bazaar Music. Being of fragile health, Pierre Sandwidi passed away in 1998, leaving a beloved and dedicated family behind.<\/p>\n

His funeral had a national echo, while new generations are slowly rediscovering a great body of work. Sandwidi used to tell his family that one day, some interest would come from abroad regarding his artistic legacy. Twenty years after he died, this compilation stands as a vibrant tribute to one of West Africa\u2019s most outstanding and adamant artist.<\/p>\n

Read Next:\u00a0Abu Obaida Hassan, the Mysterious Pioneer of Sudanese\u2019 Shaigiya Music<\/a><\/span><\/h6>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Twenty years after he died, french label Born Bad Records pays\u00a0tribute\u00a0to Pierre Sandwidi, one of West Africa\u2019s most outstanding and adamant artist. Born in 1947 in Boulsa, a small village in central Upper Volta, Pierre […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":14110,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7833,9373],"tags":[28265],"location":[7908],"yst_prominent_words":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42365"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42365"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=42365"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=42365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}