DOBET GNAHORE

Iowa debut | A remarkable young singer, dancer and percussionist from Côte d’Ivoire (The Ivory Coast), Dobet Gnahoré sings in seven languages and embraces musical styles from Mandingue melodies to Congolese rumba, Ivory Coast ziglibiti to Cameroon bikoutsi

She is widely and internationally hailed as one of the freshest talents in new African music.

Gnahoré is a whirl of motion on stage, her dreadlocks flying as she dances and sings in a voice one critic described as "moving easily from a high, pure girlish timbre to a stern, throaty cry."

At age 12, Dobet announced to her father that she wasn't going to return to school. "I want to stay in the village like you," she asserted so forcefully that her father knew there was no talking her out of it. But this was no ordinary village. Dobet's father — a respected master drummer, singer and actor — was a founding member of Village Ki-Yi M'Bock, one of Africa's most unique artist enclaves.

Located in a pastoral neighborhood of the otherwise bustling capital city of Abidjan, the artistic cooperative is home to over 50 resident artists of diverse traditions, ages and origins, including dancers, actors, puppeteers, sculptors, painters, costume designers and musicians. African artists with a multitude of ethnic backgrounds collaborate there freely, united in their commitment to creating uniquely African artistic expressions. Dobet was trained in a multi-faceted approach to music and performance where dance, percussion, song, poetry and theatre are intertwined.

Dobet's life changed when a young French guitarist named Colin Laroche de Féline arrived one morning in 1996, a backpack over one shoulder and a guitar over the other. Falling in love with the village's lifestyle and with Dobe, his three-day visit stretched to three years. As Colin mastered a range of African guitar techniques, he and Dobet formed a personal and musical bond that made them inseparable.

While the artistic colony may have been a utopian hideaway, the city of Abidjan became increasingly embroiled in social and political turmoil. Seeking a stable, less dangerous environment in which to raise their child, Dobet and Colin moved to France in 1999. There they formed a band made up of a diverse line-up of musicians. Soon, the group was performing at European music festivals, and Dobet's unique talent attracted more and more attention. She received a Newcomer of the Year nomination from the BBC World Music Awards in 2006, and her debut album, the 2004 release Ano Neko, debuted to wide accolades.

The songs on Dobet's new release, Na Afriki (Cumbancha Records), address social and political issues: the struggles of women in African society, the exploitation of children, and the impact of greed and violence on the family. Dobet calls upon Africa to seek solutions from within, and to draw upon its own vast resources to create a better future. She sings of love and loss, as well as joy and celebration, using a wide variety of rhythms and styles that reflect her pan-African approach.