Ivory Coast, Cuba, Gambia and Senegal / 2020 / 70mins / Documentary / English, French and Spanish

With the first continental gold record in 1980, prolific singer, Laba Sosseh, became an emblematic figure of Afro-Cuban music in Africa. His career spanned more than 45 years, until his death in 2007. This documentary takes us on a journey ten years later, tracing his ever-present influence from Dakar, Senegal, to Banjul, the capital of Gambia, where Laba Sosseh was born. From the Gambia, we follow his trail to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Cuba, and New York City, painting a portrait of the multifaceted artist's immense musical career. Along the way, we meet musicians, friends, and El Maestro’s family members who share their insight, allowing us to trace Cuban music's journey to West Africa, and Senegal in particular, to see how the music evolved. We gain a better understanding of Laba Sosseh's role in this process and the legacy he left.

Maky Madiba Sylla

Maky Madiba Sylla is an artist, musician, and director, born in 1976 in Dakar, Senegal. He is the founder of the Djoloff Reggae Festival and an assistant to Ibrahima Sarr, a Senegalese director based in Canada. After graduating from the Birmingham Film Institute, he completed an educational program at the ESMA School of Cinema in Dakar, Senegal. He navigates between his careers in music and cinema. El Maestro Laba Sosseh is his first documentary film, co-directed with Lionel Bourqui. Learn More

Lionel Bourqui

After studying journalism and social communication at university, Lionel worked for 10 years with various private Swiss television stations. He works as a journalist, camera man, editor, news anchor, and even editor-in-chief. Since 2009, he has been an editor for RTS (Radio Télévision Suisse). Parallel to this, he also works as a freelance director. For years, he has specialized in recording shows. Learn More