Yandé Codou Sène
Encyclopedia
Yandé Codou Sène was a Senegalese singer of Serer
origin. She was born in 1932 at Somb
in the Sine-Saloum
delta and died on 15 July 2010 at Gandiaye
in (Sénégal
). She was the official griot
of president Léopold Sédar Senghor
. Most of her music is sang in the Serer language.
Yandé Codou sings in the old Serer tradition and have had a significant impact on Senegambian music as well as artists including Youssou N'Dour
whom she has inspired immensely. Although she has been singing since she was a child and have had a profound effect on Senegambia's music scene, she did not record her first album (Night Sky in Sine Saloum) until was was aged 65. Her first recording debut on an album "Gainde" was in 1995 that she shared with Youssou N'Dour in which she received rave reviews. In that same year, her vocals were showcased on the full length album "Youssou N'Dour Presents Yandé Codou Sène". RootsWorld described her as someone who:
www.freehosting.net/djembemande said,
In Safi Faye
's Mossane
(a 1996 film), Yandé's powerful vocals received rave reviews whose song in the film is associated with the evocation of the Serer Pangool (ancestral spirits and Serer Saints in the Serer religion
).
President Senghor who is famous for adopting the African griot
technique of "naming" in his poems is adopted from the Serer
tradition as in his poem "Aux tirailleurs Sénégalais morts pour la France." Yandé Codou who is proficient in this technique used a similar technique in the funeral of President Senghor.
Serer people
The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....
origin. She was born in 1932 at Somb
Somb
Somb is a town in Senegal situated in the west of the country.-History:The Battle of Fandane-Thiouthioune more commonly known as The Battle of Somb took place in the vicinity of this town when Maba Diakhou Bâ tried to launch jihad against the Serer people of Sine but was defeat by the King of...
in the Sine-Saloum
Sine-Saloum
Sine-Saloum is a region in Senegal located north of The Gambia and south of the Petite Côte. It encompasses an area of 24,000 square kilometers, about 12% of Senegal, with a population in the 1990s of 1,060,000....
delta and died on 15 July 2010 at Gandiaye
Gandiaye
The town, commune and kingdom of Gandiaye in the Department of Kaolack, central Senegal, lies along National Route 1 about 24 kilometers from Kaolack. The population is about 10,000 consisting of the Serer, Wolof, Fula, Bambara and Jola) ethnic groups....
in (Sénégal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
). She was the official griot
Griot
A griot or jeli is a West African storyteller. The griot delivers history as a poet, praise singer, and wandering musician. The griot is a repository of oral tradition. As such, they are sometimes also called bards...
of president Léopold Sédar Senghor
Léopold Sédar Senghor
Léopold Sédar Senghor was a Senegalese poet, politician, and cultural theorist who for two decades served as the first president of Senegal . Senghor was the first African elected as a member of the Académie française. Before independence, he founded the political party called the Senegalese...
. Most of her music is sang in the Serer language.
Yandé Codou sings in the old Serer tradition and have had a significant impact on Senegambian music as well as artists including Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, percussionist and occasional actor. In 2004, Rolling Stone described him as, in Senegal and much of Africa, "perhaps the most famous singer alive." He helped develop a style of popular music in Senegal, known in the Serer language as mbalax, a type of music...
whom she has inspired immensely. Although she has been singing since she was a child and have had a profound effect on Senegambia's music scene, she did not record her first album (Night Sky in Sine Saloum) until was was aged 65. Her first recording debut on an album "Gainde" was in 1995 that she shared with Youssou N'Dour in which she received rave reviews. In that same year, her vocals were showcased on the full length album "Youssou N'Dour Presents Yandé Codou Sène". RootsWorld described her as someone who:
- "can move mountains with her positively poetic voice."
www.freehosting.net/djembemande said,
- "her voice is a technically marvelous instrument with great sustain and rich overtones and she uses it to convey fervent emotion rather than facile sentimentality."
In Safi Faye
Safi Faye
Safi Faye is a Senegalese film director and ethnologist. She was the first Sub-Saharan African woman to direct a commercially distributed feature film. She has directed several documentary and fiction films focussing on rural life in Senegal.-Early life and education:Safi Faye was born in 1943 in...
's Mossane
Mossane
Mossane is a 1996 Senegalese drama film directed by Safi Faye. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival...
(a 1996 film), Yandé's powerful vocals received rave reviews whose song in the film is associated with the evocation of the Serer Pangool (ancestral spirits and Serer Saints in the Serer religion
Serer religion
The Serer religion, Fat Rog is the original religious beliefs, practices and teachings of the Serer people. The Serer people believe in a universal Supreme Deity called "Rog. "The Serer people are found throughout the Senegambia Region...
).
President Senghor who is famous for adopting the African griot
Griot
A griot or jeli is a West African storyteller. The griot delivers history as a poet, praise singer, and wandering musician. The griot is a repository of oral tradition. As such, they are sometimes also called bards...
technique of "naming" in his poems is adopted from the Serer
Serer people
The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....
tradition as in his poem "Aux tirailleurs Sénégalais morts pour la France." Yandé Codou who is proficient in this technique used a similar technique in the funeral of President Senghor.
Tracks
- Salmon Faye (sang in acapella)
- Gainde
- Keur Maang Codou
- Bofia Tigue Waguene
- Salmon Faye
- Gnaikha Gniore Ndianesse
- Natangue
- Keur Mang Codou
Filmography
- Yandé Codou Sène, Diva Sérère, documentary film by Laurence Gavron, 2008
- Yandé Codou Sène, La griotte de Senghor, documentary film by Angèle Diabang Brener, 2008
- MossaneMossaneMossane is a 1996 Senegalese drama film directed by Safi Faye. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival...
, film by Safi FayeSafi FayeSafi Faye is a Senegalese film director and ethnologist. She was the first Sub-Saharan African woman to direct a commercially distributed feature film. She has directed several documentary and fiction films focussing on rural life in Senegal.-Early life and education:Safi Faye was born in 1943 in...
, 1996 - Karmen Gei, film, directed by Joseph Gai Ramaka, 2001
- Ousmane SembeneOusmane SembèneOusmane Sembène , often credited in the French style as Sembène Ousmane in articles and reference works, was a Senegalese film director, producer and writer...
's film Faat KineFaat KinéFaat Kiné is a 2000 Senegalese film written and directed by Ousmane Sembène, set in present-day Dakar, Senegal. It provides a critical look at modern, post-colonial Senegal and the place of women in that society...