Blick Bassy: Parisian who never left Africa

“The soul of my music isn’t so much in the words, it’s in the way I sing,” says Blick Bassy of his music. Melody dictates Bassy’s lyrics.

Paris-based Bassy recently performed at the Carnivore’s Simba Saloon as part of celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the Alliance Francaise in Nairobi.

And although the Cameroon-born Bassy sings in his native Bassa, one does not have to understand the language to enjoy the music.

Bassy’s is African soul music that reflects the ever evolving melting pot of world music and in particular, the relationship between African musicians in the diaspora and those coming of age in their mother country.

The singer-cum-songwriter, guitarist and percussionist, was born in 1974 in Cameroon’s capital Yaoundé, a city where people from all parts of the country fused together.

His first languages were French and English although his family is of the Bassa ethnic group, a nomadic people whose origin can be traced to Egypt.

His name Bassy literally means “people from the earth.”

Now living and performing in Paris, Bassy’s talent was first spotted by Malian musician Salif Keita and he later recorded in Paris and at Keita’s studio in Mali.

Coming from an ethnic group that is fast losing its traditions, Bassy’s music is informed by these concerns.

On his way to Nairobi from Paris aboard national carrier, Kenya Airways, Bassy said he was pleasantly surprised when all the announcements over the intercom by the flight crew were first made in Kiswahili, then in English.

“I felt very proud to be African. This is the way to go,” he said.

It is sad, noted the musician, that many Africans including his own people in Cameroon are fast losing their traditions and culture.

“They hardly speak their mother tongues. The losers here are the future generation.”

It is for this reason that Bassy opted to sing in his mother tongue, Bassa, which is one of the 260 languages spoken in Cameroon.

“Everyday, African cultures and traditions are being lost forever and this should not be allowed,” he said.