"On Sèl Kou" by Misié Sadik
What is a classic? For me, it is a work of art whose existence tells the story of a people, whether or not there is immediate popular success. As a cultural element, its impact is so strong that it enters the collective memory to the point where any judgment of value or quality is no longer relevant.
Recommended by Stevy Mahy as a song embodying the multiple facets of Guadeloupe, "On Sèl Kou" [t/n: “All at once/Suddenly”] by Misié Sadik is an example of what I call a classic. The first time I really listened to the lyrics was during Misié Sadik's concert at La Cigale in April 2019. He even performed it as a duet with Dominik Coco, a veteran artist of the Guadeloupean music scene. Given the emotion of the audience who fervently sang along with perfect harmony, I felt that it was a song with a strong impact but it was the visuals that made me understand why. Directed by Jean-Michel Bellejambe, the music video is a time capsule of Guadeloupe in the late 2000s.
Communauty
In his interview, Misié Sadik talks about the lack of money he had at the time to finance a big-budget music video or at least to film in a studio with different sets. The simplicity of the concept of showing the place where he grew up is what makes it original. Celebrating one's home town or even one's neighborhood is usually part of the storytelling of hip-hop/dancehall artists with a success rooted in their community. My teenager self of the 90's only had one geographical reference point when it came to the Kréyòl/dancehall hip-hop scene. I didn't have any representation of youth outside of the crews from the Pointe-à-Pitre/Les Abymes area. And Sainte-Anne may be the ultimate tourist city in Guadeloupe, but I saw it musically rooted in the gwo ka musical tradition. The street art mural being painted in the video clip is therefore all the more symbolic because it materializes a moment of conviviality within a young and dynamic community appropriating its space in a context other than a night party or the Carnival. Thanks to this music video, the Dupré neighborhood remains immortalized and becomes the embodiment of the Guadeloupean values of solidarity, inventiveness and resilience that mainstream media coverage doesn’t convey enough.
It's a shame that the music video isn’t in high definition... But truth is, while the black and white sequences gives an intimate aspect to the story from the point of view of a young Guadeloupean, the low quality resolution adds a touch of authenticity to our eyes accustomed to 1080p resolution.
Authenticity
(French) TV shows such as Zone Interdite and other investigative magazines constantly draw a negative portrait of the youth of Guadeloupe as if they were not individuals in a state of permanent survival... They’re judged on acts, the causes that are invoked to such situations never mention the real people responsible for the violence they suffer.
A knowing glance, a burst of laughter... The camera in "On Sèl Kou" captures the positive energy of Guadeloupean male youth. Through traditional or urban handicrafts, young people express a creative power that socio-economic conditions cannot stifle. Despite the harsh reality that Misié Sadik sings about, the images in his music video grant these young people the right to be themselves without reproducing the stereotypes of aggressiveness and suffering that film and television revel in to dehumanize them as men. The hashtag #blackboyjoy has flourished on social networks in recent years where the democratization of video has allowed black teenagers to produce their own narratives. When I watch "On Sèl Kou", I think about the young men who have been struggling for generations and the importance of keeping a record of the fleeting moments of joy and sharing in adversity. Tears shed do not prevent us from keeping hope and working to change things.
I had already been gone from Guadeloupe for a few years when "On Sèl Kou" came out in 2009. My brain did a reboot after I left, but the Guadeloupe shown in this music video is the one in my heart forever.