“We are all gathered because of Arafat, he is a gentleman to respect. Bob Marley (died May 11, 1981) had his May 11, we, in Ivory Coast, we have our August 12”, a declared Amandine, 28, strapped into a black t-shirt bearing the image of the artist, on which we could read: “Arafat Year 1”.
Coming from different districts of Abidjan, the “Chinese” converged on the place of the motorcycle accident where a stele in his memory was built.
“He was the people’s artist, hence his name, the president of the People’s Republic of China,” recalls Kévin Kra, who arrived there since dawn.
For Aicha Traoré, a 22-year-old student, “Arafat DJ is not dead, he is alive”, as evidenced by the thousands of people who have invaded the kilometer long street that now bears his name.
Born in 2003 in Parisian nightclubs, creation of the Ivorian diaspora, the coupé-shifted was all the rage in Côte d’Ivoire, then in West Africa, with its electronic sounds and its frenzied rhythm.
DJ Arafat, whose real name is Ange Didier Houon, died on August 12, 2019 following a motorcycle accident in Abidjan. The announcement of his death had given rise to scenes of hysteria among his fans.
DJ Arafat was named “best artist of the year” at the Coupé-Décalé Awards in 2016 and 2017. He was also distinguished in 2012 “best African artist” at the Kora Music Awards, pan-African musical awards.
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