When Ernest Djédjé Blé Louis alias Ernesto Djédjé passed away in June 1983, many of his disciples promised to continue his work: Ziglibity. Blissi Tebil, Johnny Lafleur, Luckson Padaud, Diabo Steck and many others were the standard-bearers of a musical rhythm whose fame had spread far beyond the borders of Côte d’Ivoire. Three decades later, ziglibithy is losing ground. It is with nostalgia that we recall the great titles Aguissè, Ziboté [two successful albums]. Ziglibity is Ernesto Djédjé’s trademark, a traditional Bété dance that he has revisited. The name ziglibithy is formed from the word “zigli” which means “dance” and “bhithy” which means “sweet, honeyed, succulent, soft song that you can’t resist”. “With Aguissè and Ziboté [two successful albums], Côte d’Ivoire has rediscovered its music and its cultural identity. Leziglibityc’ is a music that comes out of the land of Tahiraguhé, Daloa, where he was born. It is not only a music, but also a dance. There is a lot of physical expression,” said drummer Diabo Steck, a faithful companion of the artist, last December during a major concert in memory of the Ivorian singer organised by the Institut national supérieur des arts et de l’action culturelle (Insaac) in Abidjan.

The strength of Djédjé

Tiburce Koffi, the director of the Institute, adds: “Djédjé’s strength,” he explains, “is that he questioned his cultural roots. He discovered leziglibity and transformed it to make it more urban. Of all the Ivorian rhythms that have been successful in the sub-region and in Central Africa, ziglibity holds the Golden Palm. In the post-independence years, most African countries were not really open to other cultures, let alone to a new musical genre whose precursor had not yet finished promoting it on its own territory.
But Ernesto Djédjé had the audacity to impose it outside our borders just by his talent as a singer and dancer. Ernesto Djédjé, the national Gnoantré, died on 9 June 1983 in the Yamoussoukro military hospital, just as his ziglibity was spreading. Flashback on the career of this artist who died too soon. Singer, dancer, composer, musician, arranger, Ernesto Djédjé was the model of a multidimensional artist. He began his musical career playing guitar in the early 1960s in Treichville where he lived with one of his uncles. Ziglibity is a rhythm that originated in the centre-west of the Ivory Coast, mainly in the Daloa region. But before modernising it and bringing it to the attention of Ivorian and African music lovers, Ernesto Djédjé went through several musical labyrinths before he finally discovered it. Ziglibithy is inspired by the traditional sounds of the people of western Côte d’Ivoire (Bétés, Gouros, Didas), including zagrobi. Ziglibithy is a musical style and a tradi-modern dance. Ziglibithy has its origins in the rhythm of the ‘Digbha’, the lyrical speech of the ‘Tohourou-Doblhé’ and the gestures of the Ivorian ‘Glhè’. According to musicologist Valen Guébé, Ernesto Djédjé desacralized these elements by modernizing them through instrumental transformations and the introduction of funk. “In the ziglibithy, Ernesto Djédjé’s re-creative dimension is also apparent when he challenges the rules of classical harmony by using parallel fifths and thirds, which are forbidden because they are considered to be faults in the said harmony (see the track kpihigou or Kpuigou in the Henri Konan Bédié album). In this harmonic challenge, Ernesto Djédjé uses the rhythmic play of percussion on the guitar and this creates melodic-rhythmic emotional sensations when listening to it,” says Valen Guédé.

The musical heritage of the “national Gnoantré

Today, the question that arises is the future of Ziglibity insofar as rare are the artists who produce sounds worthy of the “national gnoantré”. “If today no local artist claims to make Ziglibity, it must be admitted that this musical rhythm continues to exist through musical and choreographic works. These works are the pride and joy of Ivorian music today. Zouglou, Coupé décalé and even variety music very often use the rhythmic and melodic formulas that Ernesto used,” say analysts of musical life in Côte d’Ivoire. This is a heavy legacy to defend in view of the qualities of the “national gnoatré”, as noted in one of the publications of top visages: “Apart from the fact that Djédjé was a complete artist (talented musician and singer), he knew how to communicate the passion of his art to his public through dance. The man was a virtuoso in this field. But before he went on stage, he dazzled with his style of dress. Everything he wore enhanced his performance. His afro hairstyle and sideburns, which he took pleasure in maintaining, gave a virile look to his personality. Whether it was simple clothes, grey, black or white outfits, Djédjé looked very elegant with his impressive physique (198 centimetres for almost 95 kilos) which left no one indifferent. It is up to everyone to work to ensure that the musical heritage of the “national Gnoantré” is not forgotten.