Oumou Sangaré, artist and businesswoman, will repeat it several times during our interview, she does not like to venture into the political arena. However, when she approaches these questions, it is with a clear-cut opinion, without concession. Democracy, she no longer believes in it. If she does not hide her fear of seeing her homeland disappear under the yoke of the jihadists, it is in civil society that she has the most hope.
What is your view of the security and political crisis that Mali is currently going through?
Oumou Sangaré: I am worried. For me, the biggest crisis is identity. We are moving away from our traditions, our culture, our greatness. We are influenced by foreign powers and cultures, which have been imposed on us. As a result, we move away from ourselves. We no longer know who we are.
Do the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS after the two coups led by Assimi Goïta seem justified to you?
Justified or not, I condemn them. The economic embargo weakens the poorest. The Malian people do not deserve this. It is not fair. ECOWAS must act when a country needs support, not to stifle it further. This organization is there to protect the Heads of State, but certainly not the people, whereas it is the people who must be listened to. It’s a sorry system.
Does the seizure of power by the military herald a democratic decline?
We’ve been in a democracy for more than twenty years, it doesn’t work. The political system we experienced got us nowhere. It is up to the people to really take their destiny into their own hands, to wake up, as they are doing now, by saying no to these corrupt leaders. We have seen enough of these leaders. We have seen their limits. I don’t like to go into the political arena, because everything there is false. To remain under this regime was to condemn oneself.
As an artist, you have to perform in France. Does the deterioration of relations between the two nations affect you?
We arrive at absurd situations. To get to Paris and meet the press, I had to go through Istanbul. These are the consequences of this useless war, which deprives the population of its fundamental rights, such as those of free movement.
Interview conducted by Jeune Afrique