“As for any student, it is a day that you are happy to leave, because you have achieved your goals.” However, HEC’s graduation ceremony, Salif Traoré, aka A’salfo, was special.
Leader, singer and lyricist of the group Magic System, for three years he combined his studies at the prestigious business school and his musical career. Between tours, studio recordings and the Covid pandemic, we had to adapt.
So for the graduation ceremony, we needed an event worthy of the course. “It was special to be an actor at the ceremony,” explains A’salfo. And what was the surprise of the students when they discovered, on stage, the magical quartet, taking up two of their greatest hits. “We had carefully prepared the surprise with the HEC management, the other students were not aware of it”, reveals the new graduate.
Feel the magic in the air
After “1er Gaou”, their success in 1999, Magic System continued with the no less famous “Magic in the air”, making families, students and all the teachers dance. “Ending in music, it was ending in the most beautiful way”, A’Salfo rejoices. A “symbolic” performance for the Ivorian singer, but also a way to “send a message”.
In fact, the artist has produced his dissertation on the distribution of copyrights, a real challenge for the music industry in Africa.
“I wanted to change the paradigm, show that music can be made and at the same time seek to deepen knowledge to improve the conditions of this small artistic environment”, insists A’Salfo, who now intends to put his new skills into practice. use. , in particular for his company Gaou Productions.
A very active foundation with children.
But since 2014, Magic System is no longer just the name of a group, but also that of a foundation. Engaged in various social actions in Côte d’Ivoire, the foundation has received the status of “public utility association”. “We are in the middle of building two schools, there will be ten in total”, explains A’Salfo proudly. The foundation is also involved in the fight against climate warming and organizes charity events to raise funds.
But A’Salfo recognizes that that diploma is not the most important thing. What he counts are “achievements”. “It’s like a gold record, we didn’t go on stage with it, it’s the work that accompanied the gold record that will confirm our status as an artist,” he explains.
On Tuesday, when he returned to the Ivory Coast, his employees gave him a pleasant surprise: “they made me a guard of honor to receive me,” smiles the artist and businessman. And to conclude: “what I learned will benefit all these employees, and you can’t buy that”.
Source: BFM TV
