"Tucked away a couple of streets from the belly of Cocovico market in Abidjan, where merchants and buyers engage over the din of rap ivoire, zouglou and coupe-decale, the most popular Ivorian music genres, the Baoulecore Archive centre pays homage to an older era of music. Hundreds of records and cassettes from Ivorian icons such as Reine Pelagie and Daouda le Sentimental are stacked on shelves alongside other Black musicians such as Sun Ra and Youssou N'Dour."
"Much of the archive is dedicated to the 2000's Y2K female aesthetic of low-rise boot-cut jeans with chain belts, which was popularised in parts of Africa by Nollywood actors inspired by pop stars such as Destiny's Child and Christina Aguilera. Ivorian stars also rocked the style and built a cult following in Francophone Africa. I started it to say: Look at what my country did for the audiovisual world,' said Marie-Helene Banimbadio Tusiama, the project's founder."
Archives Ivoire launched on Instagram in 2020 and gained a major boost when Aya Nakamura reshared a meme from the series Nafi to millions of followers. The project documents the female aesthetic in Ivorian pop culture, has amassed 85,000 followers, hosts cinema club sessions in Abidjan and Grand-Bassam, and sells merchandise. Much of the archive focuses on 2000s Y2K styles—low-rise boot-cut jeans and chain belts—influenced by Nollywood and pop acts like Destiny's Child and Christina Aguilera, and embraced by Ivorian stars. Founder Marie-Helene Banimbadio Tusiama created the project to showcase Ivorian audiovisual contributions. Cedric Kouame's Baoulecore Archive preserves hundreds of records and cassettes, emphasizing music from Black artists and the need to document local musical heritage.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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