GOVERNMENT
WILL MINISTER CHEICK OUMAR SISSOKO FINALLY RESIGN?

The signs heralding the resignation of Cheick Oumar Sissoko, Minister for the Culture, are already felt. Will he be courageous this time?

In any case, the Malian minister of the Culture, Cheick Oumar Sissoko, while speaking about piracy during 2004, had promised to resign if nothing is made before mid-November of the same year.

Today, history seems to catch up the minister SADI. By the Bamanan, this proverb is well recognized as being a general truth: "Man has no tail, he has no mane, the point of catch of the man is the word out off its mouth". The Minister for the culture is taken at his words by the artists and producers, expiatory victims of piracy and unfair competition. Seydoni Mali and Mali k7 already closed because of piracy and unfair competition.

The information was given at the head office of Mali K7 in quinzambougou, during a press meeting animated by the persons in charge of the two structures, while attracting the attention of the authorities and of the ensemble of the Malian consumers on their painful situation. Other groups of production and not of least are on the red line. In any case, lately, piracy gained power in our country.

It is easy to promise to do something but the execution is another. Will the minister CHEICK Oumar Sissoko have courage to throw in the sponge this time? This is not easy at all especially when one tastes the delights of the power. In all the cases, we are in a company where the word has an essential importance. The Wisdom of a man is recognized through the respect of his promise.

Without word, artists and producers interpellate the Minister of the Culture on the danger of their daily life. The government, by its laxism in the fight against piracy, let climb it on the head of the artists and producers. Will the minister save from this vice?

Let us wait to see.

Boubacar KANTE

IN THE BACKSTAGE OF THE POWER
Heading of Monday – By Mamadou DABO

When Cheick Oumar Sissoko put his world to shame, the world of the artists

Great scenario writer and confirmed intellectual, Cheick Oumar Sissoko, Minister of communication lamentably failed in his action plan of fight against piracy. And we interpellate for very simple reasons.

Cheick Oumar interests us through his challenge. And Dr. Choguel Maïga, heir of the late and savage regime opposing to government of Alpha, who is today in the government. The list is not exhaustive.

In Mali, Cheick Oumar is not only the great scenario writer and the intellectual, he is and especially a flag carrier of the democratic movement. Yesterday, in front of the fight against the dictatorship through his cinematographic activities in particular, CHEICK Oumar is also a promoter of radio , he’s the man used to the defence of freedoms and rights among which speech freedom and the protection of the authors’ rights. His nomination at the head of the ministry for the Culture nourished much hopes. And he seasoned this hope by engaging solemnly to entreat piracy. But today, piracy has the upper hand on Cheick Oumar.

In truth, the time of the bursting actions is past. Burning pirated tapes has never been the solution to this problem. Because the great Masters of piracy are billionaires who do not haggle over the means when hey have to recruit retailers or to start again their representatives victims of damage. On its side, the Malian public, poor among the poor and thus difficult to convince of solidarity towards the artists considered as rich, generally not hesitate to buy the less expensive products. Many say that the sound a pirated cassette is better with that of the legal cassettes. All things that the minister has to integrate in his policy of fight against piracy. And to beat on the criminals by letting the artists know that it is better to sell at expensive costs but with quality, than to sell at expensive cost and little. But alas! Since he is a minister, Cheick Oumar is in the register of his precursors: burning cassettes for the needs of publicity around the minister. Meanwhile, the artists die. The criminals do not go in jail. However at least, detention is a rather dissuasive measurement, in addition to payment of the damages. Everyone would gain in putting on the market less expensive products. The minister Cheick Oumar had to succeed on this ground not complicated at all.