Zouglou
Encyclopedia
Zouglou is a dance oriented style of music from the Côte d'Ivoire
(Ivory Coast) that first evolved in the 1990s out of the university crisis at the time. It started with students (les parents du Campus) from the University of Abidjan. It has since spread elsewhere, including to Burkina Faso
, Cameroon
and Gabon
.
Popular with the youth, the lyrics are written in local languages and French
street slang, and has parallels with the evolution of rap
in the West
. It uses humor to depict anything going wrong in the society.
Groups associated with the zouglou style include Magic System
(who have become a major act locally and in France
, Belgium
and Switzerland
), Sur-Choc
(who appeared on the soundtrack of the 2005 FIFA Street
game), Les Garagistes, Mercenaires, Yode et Siro and Espoir 2000.
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
(Ivory Coast) that first evolved in the 1990s out of the university crisis at the time. It started with students (les parents du Campus) from the University of Abidjan. It has since spread elsewhere, including to Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
, Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
and Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
.
Popular with the youth, the lyrics are written in local languages and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
street slang, and has parallels with the evolution of rap
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
in the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
. It uses humor to depict anything going wrong in the society.
Groups associated with the zouglou style include Magic System
Magic System (musical group)
Magic System is a musical group from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, founded in 1996. The band comprises Salif "Asalfo" Traoré, Narcisse "Goude" Sadoua, Étienne "Tino" Boué Bi, and Adama "Manadja" Fanny....
(who have become a major act locally and in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
), Sur-Choc
Sur-Choc
The Frères Gazeurs were originally four kids from the ghettos of Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. They used a cappella singing, djembe and a bell to play "ambiance facile" , a traditional-modern style...
(who appeared on the soundtrack of the 2005 FIFA Street
FIFA Street
FIFA Street is a sports video game developed by Alex Shulmann and published by Electronic Arts. It is commentated by MC Harvey of the So Solid Crew....
game), Les Garagistes, Mercenaires, Yode et Siro and Espoir 2000.