Authenticité
Authenticité
de Sabel Gavaldon
17.09.09 – 25.10.09
Authenticité is the name of a series of cultural programmes begun by the first revolutionary government of Sékou Touré in Guinea-Conakry, among which the Syliphone record company stands out. Beginning in the 1980s, some of their recordings began to be re-released by European companies specialising in “World Music” with packaging that trivialised the ideological weight of the original iconography.
The term “authenticité” presents itself as a clever promotional appeal that conserves its original colours and typography – a kind of nostalgic vestige – and thus becomes enormously attractive. The word “authenticité” suggests ethnic authenticity or legitimacy. It is in this sense that the genealogy of the Authenticité logotype perfectly illustrates the type of strategies a category such as “World Music” puts into play. It is also a clear example of how folkloric constructions can usurp popular culture’s historical aspect.
Through the manipulation of a set of LPs, Sabel Gavaldón’s proposal for the Espai Club puts the emphasis on a sound landscape which questions post-colonial clichés created around folklore and contemporary African identity, yet without yielding to the temptation of overt accusation.
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