“Les salauds”, un pamphlet d’Alpha Blondy dans une Côte d’Ivoire en crise

Koné Seydou, better known as Alpha Blondy, is an Ivorian musician whose reputation has spread around the world. Reggae music singer, his compositions certainly address issues related to situations taking place in the world, but they also deal with issues related to his country of origin, Ivory Coast. His song “les salauds” from his album “Jah Victory” released in 2007 on the Wagram Music/Test label is a perfect illustration of this. This piece, which has the resonance of a pamphlet, draws up a violent indictment against certain social categories in Côte d’Ivoire, namely, journalists, political actors and religious leaders. Analyzing this piece with a view to explaining its systematics, this research based on content analysis and documentary research shows that from a technical and aesthetic point of view, Alpha Blondy stands out from reggae rhythm by doing without the drums and bass to project themselves towards another horizon, that of Rock. This non-conformism helps to express his anger in a certainly poetic but committed speech where the artist accuses the elites (political, religious, etc.) of being responsible for the crises in the country. We hear a deeply divided Ivorian society crying out its suffering while the elites seem preoccupied with their particular interests.