About me

My name is Juste Fanou and I am an engineering technology student at McMaster University. With the generous support of Drs. Jolie Ringash and Glen Bandiera and their Renaissance Award, I was recently blessed with the opportunity to engage in an experiential learning journey that is set to begin in September 2014.  I have devised a project, which I am hoping will shed some light on the relationship between music and political conflicts in Ivory Coast. Even though, I know close to nothing about sociology, anthropology or political science, I expect that my affinity for Ivorian music and the mentorship of my faculty advisor (Prof Andrew Gilbert) will arm me with the necessary skills to bring this project to completion. This Renaissance adventure will take me across three continents where I am expecting to meet with artists, scholars as well as fellow music lovers to understand the impact of Zouglou and Coupé Décalé on the course of the Ivorian civil wars.

This blog will serve as an outlet and journal to document my experiences. I will be posting all kinds of interesting things on here, so be sure to check it regularly. =) I am extremely excited about this opportunity, yet also completely terrified. This is definitely going to be challenging, and I hope that I am up to the task. However, like Ivorian people say: “Y a rien! C’est l’homme qui a peur!” (Translated: There is no problem, except for the fear of man).