…and words

Between “premonition”, “revolution” and “evolution”, Martin Bambara, known to his fans as Smockey, reiterates, in his last work, Pre’volution, his position that Burkina Faso’s revolution must serve the people’s interests and not become a fossilised caricature of itself. Known for his activism, the rapper, whose mother is French and whose father was born in the Bissa region, believes that, whatever the musical genre, heartfelt expression is all that really matters. Mr. Bambara, a founding member of the protest movement Le Balai citoyen (“The Citizens’ Broom”), an organisation of young people that helped to drive Blaise Compaoré from power in 2014, says that art for art’s sake is meaningless to the community at large and that commitment lies in actions and words. At the age of 44, he rejects the label of “rebel” and considers upholding his convictions a responsibility.