The late-blooming singer and musician Gnonnas Pedro achieved world-wide fame when he joined the African salsa supergroup Africando in 1996. But he had been well known in his hometown of Cotonou, Benin, since becoming active on the music scene there in the early 1960s.
He has been described as a jack-of-all-trades for his many talents, which included playing trumpet and sax, singing and dancing. He also tailored his style to the vagaries of fashion in a country which has never produced much of a distinctive musical culture due to the overbearing influence of its neighbours.
But it was his early and abiding penchant for Latin sounds which eventually brought him wider recognition in the twilight of his career. Having recorded a single with the French crooner Charles Aznavour in 1964, Pedro spent the Sixties leading his group Pedro y Sus Panchos. They exploited the vogue for Latin music in West Africa at the time, combining it with folklore from the Fon and Yoruba peoples in styles such as agbadja.
Pedro enjoyed popularity in Nigeria during the 1970s with Yoruba highlife hits such as "Feso Jaiye" with his band Orchestra Poly-Rythmo. The following decade his band were known as Ses Dadjes. He recorded prolifically for various labels in Benin, Ivory Coast and Nigeria, and in 1984 began a professional relationship with the influential Senegalese producer Ibrahim Sylla. The following year their single "Les Femmes d'Abord" took much of West Africa by storm.
In 1993, Sylla masterminded the formation of Africando, combining three Senegalese vocalists and the cream of New York's Latin music scene, and sparking off an international craze for African salsa. Sylla asked Pedro to join the group in 1996, a year after the death of their singer Pape Seck. Over their next four albums Pedro was a featured vocalist on songs such as "Dagamasi", "Musica en Vérité", "Dacefo" and "Hwomevonon" - often revived from his earlier career.
Africando toured Europe, the United States and parts of Africa, with Pedro making his UK début at the Equinox Ballroom in London in 1997, where he impressed with his lively dancing, effervescent grin and irrepressible cries of "Yee-hooo!" at the ends of songs. The singer Sekouba "Bambino" Diabaté, who also guested on Africando's albums, recalls Pedro's contribution thus: "He liked his work a lot and really enjoyed giving pleasure to his fans as well. And he was very lively onstage, a real natural entertainer."
Ne Tuez Pas La Liberté
Gnonnas Pedro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
C'est mon slogan scandant la vérité au
Elle se reparle pour le veritas
Car un fou des fois aide le roi
Ma chanson que vous avez aimé
Ils ont voulu l'étouffer
Grâce à mon opiniâtre teint
J'suis entièrement républicain
Au service de ma chère patrie
Comme un policier, assure le service
Partout qu'importe le régime
Ne tuez pas la liberté
C'est mon slogan scandant la vérité au
Elle se reparle pour le veritas
Car un fou des fois aide le roi
Ils sont authentique par un bévue
Est ce qu'il faut consommer local?
Quand toi tu m'insulte, mais moi je te pardonne
Ma chanson est de miroir
Ne tuez pas la liberté
C'est mon slogan scandant la vérité au
Elle se reparle pour le veritas
Car un fou des fois aide le roi
Y'a pas de mauvais citoyen
À part les querelles politiques
Celles qui font de nous, ennemis l'un de l'autre
N'oublions pas nos réalités
Ne tuez pas la liberté
C'est mon slogan scandant la vérité au
Elle se reparle pour le veritas
Car un fou des fois aide le roi
Que tu sois exilé ou réfugié
Loin de chez toi la nostalgie
Reviens quand tu veux, la terre est toujours là
Pour t'accueillir mort ou vivant
Ne tuez pas la liberté
C'est mon slogan scandant la vérité au
Elle se reparle pour le veritas
Car un fou des fois aide le roi
Ma chanson que vous avez aimé
Ils ont voulu l'étouffer
Grâce à mon opiniâtre teint
Je l'ai ressuscité, ils l'ont applaudi
The song "Ne Tuez Pas La Liberté" by Gnonnas Pédro is a call for freedom to be preserved and protected. Throughout the song, the artist pleads with listeners to not kill freedom because it is the truth-teller that even a mad person can assist the king. Pédro's message here is that freedom is the backbone of a democratic society, and if it is suppressed, it will be difficult for individuals to enjoy any other rights.
At the start of the song, the artist acknowledges the power of his song, which the authorities want to stop from being aired. Nevertheless, due to his persistence, he has resurrected it, and it is now appreciated by everyone. Pédro then stresses his republican values and commitment to his country, a sentiment he equates with the role of the police, who work to maintain law and order.
As the song progresses, he further emphasizes that there are no bad citizens, including those from different political opinions, and calls for a recognition of our shared humanity. He concludes by expressing the belief that home is where the heart is and anyone who has wandered far away from it can return at any time. Overall, Pedro's message in the song is very clear: that freedom is a fundamental aspect of any society, and without it, true progress and development cannot be realized.
Line by Line Meaning
Ne tuez pas la liberté
My slogan is to preserve freedom and I declare this truth loudly
C'est mon slogan scandant la vérité au
I repeat it constantly to remind everyone of the importance of freedom
Elle se reparle pour le veritas
Truth will always resurface and will never be silenced
Car un fou des fois aide le roi
Sometimes even a madman can be of help to the ruler
Ma chanson que vous avez aimé
My song that you have enjoyed listening to
Ils ont voulu l'étouffer
Some people have tried to silence my music
Grâce à mon opiniâtre teint
Thanks to my persistence and determination
Je l'ai ressuscité, ils l'ont applaudi
I have revived and they have applauded it
J'suis entièrement républicain
I am a devoted republican
Au service de ma chère patrie
I am committed to serving my beloved country
Comme un policier, assure le service
I am like a policeman, ensuring the well-being of my people
Partout qu'importe le régime
I will serve them regardless of the political regime in place
Ils sont authentique par un bévue
They are genuine despite making a mistake
Est ce qu'il faut consommer local?
Should we only consume local products?
Quand toi tu m'insulte, mais moi je te pardonne
Even when you insult me, I will forgive you
Ma chanson est de miroir
My music reflects society
Y'a pas de mauvais citoyen
There are no bad citizens
À part les querelles politiques
Except for political disputes
Celles qui font de nous, ennemis l'un de l'autre
Those that make us enemies of one another
N'oublions pas nos réalités
We must not forget our realities
Que tu sois exilé ou réfugié
Whether you are exiled or a refugee
Loin de chez toi la nostalgie
Feeling nostalgic when you are far from home
Reviens quand tu veux, la terre est toujours là
You can always come back, the land will be waiting for you
Pour t'accueillir mort ou vivant
To welcome you, whether dead or alive
Contributed by Alexandra W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@angeahoyo2705
A chaque quand j'ai un peu de soucis cette chanson seule me ramène. Merci Gnonas Pedro
@andeolesylla1258
Un artiste complet.vraiment qu'elle gâchis pour nous les africains,et surtout béninois
@odilonassou2120
Quelle belle chanson! ❤️
@caroleemmanuelle9353
Un artiste talentueux, que j’aurais aimé rencontrer ! Chapeau 🎩
@mckdelafrontiere222
Hélas !
@zakarizoumada1500
Vrai tu nous manque énormément
@carmenessou1779
J'ai la nostalgie
@romaineadjignon2707
Dors en paix mon cher papa..
@claudebouloudi6491
je ne cesserais d'avoir de l,admiration pour cet homme pétri de talent ! grâce à la musique il restera éternel avec les siècles ! merci pour ton message !
@lebonheurdivin8488
tu es vraiment immortel grand Pedro dirigeant Africain écouté cette chanson