After “Jam Coco” in 2015, the artist Fadal Dey, whose real name is Kone Ibrahima Kalilou, signs his comeback on the Ivorian music scene with a 16-track album, “Je suis Afrique”. The promoter of the Mandé roots culture presented his new opus to the public on Tuesday 25 February in Abidjan in front of an audience of personalities from the world of culture, show biz and members of the government. According to its author, “I am Africa” is a work of affirmation of his “Africanness” and an invitation to appropriate African values. It is also a call for the unity of all Africans around the ideals of peace and democracy while getting rid of the evils that put the continent behind. This new album, which will be officially released on 28 February 2020, calls for solidarity and the development of Africa through hard work. Bearing in mind that the future, the future and the transformation of this continent rests on each African. Fadal Dey also denounces imperialism in all its forms, violence against women and the phenomenon of irregular migration.
Concerning Côte d’Ivoire in a socio-political context marked by the 2020 presidential elections, the artist, in the titles, “2020 sans violence”, “Si j’étais eux”, “Match retour”, calls for awareness so as not to make the mistakes of the 2010 post-election crisis.

He also invites political actors to preserve social cohesion through national reconciliation. “In Match Retour, I cry out my displeasure at the spirit of revenge harboured by some Ivorian political actors,” he said. Barakelé” reminds us that only work can enable Africa to catch up. Immigration, environmental protection, love, religion, the cause of children suffering from disabilities ”Dounia” are among the subjects addressed by the artist.

Influenced by Bob Marley and Alpha Blondy, Fadal Dey quickly understood that one can come from a poor family and still succeed. Reggae, the musical movement that has been at the root of many demands from oppressed people in Latin America, became his source of inspiration. A committed artist, Fadal Dey is today one of those opinion leaders who, through their multisecular origins and their musical texts, contribute to changing mentalities in Africa. Koné Ibrahima Kalilou, his real name, has a father from the Malinké ethnic group in the north (Odienné) and a mother from the Gouro ethnic group in the centre west (Zuenoula). This mix of cultures will deeply influence his musical career.
“An artist has no ethnicity. He sings for all ethnic groups. Hence the title of my album, ‘I am Africa’. For some years now, as soon as there is a terrorist attack in a country, a city, everyone says, I am Charlie Hebdo, I am Ouaga, I am Bassam etc. But nobody ever says, I am Africa. But no one ever says, I am Africa, this continent that has experienced the worst attacks, the slave trade, colonisation, neo-colonialism, the plundering of its resources and so on,” says the artist. The Minister of Culture and Francophonie, Maurice Bandama, praised the quality of the artist’s work: “It is a beautiful work with a beautiful orchestration and a music that can be sold in the world,” he said.