FÊTE DE LA MUSIQUE

Our partner Le Centre Culturel Francophone presents its artists-in-residence program during Le Festival d'Été Francophone de Vancouver. In 2025, Montréal-based artist Waahli is paired with Vancouver’s musicians Jacky Essombé, Yoro Noukoussi and Kocassalé Dioubaté for a thrilling collaboration.

In Partnership with

WAAHLI

Quebec & Haiti

Waahli is a Montreal-based artist of Haitian origin whose musical inspiration is rooted in a childhood enriched by traditional melodies. However, it is through hip-hop culture that he finds his voice and develops a unique and captivating style.

With his ancestral rhythms, stunning performances, and incisive lyrics, Waahli offers alternative hip-hop that transports listeners across the globe. On stage, he captivates audiences with his generous interaction and contagious energy, showcasing cultural diversity. In 2025, Waahli once again pushes artistic boundaries with “Seven Bubbles”, a bold opus that explores new aesthetic and sonichorizons.

Jacky Essombé France / Cameroon

Originally from Cameroon, Jacky Essombé grew up in Yaoundé and Paris before settling in Vancouver. She has toured Canada, the United States, and Europe with renowned artists. A true ambassador of Cameroniaan culture, her real passion is creating a friendly and inclusive atmosphere for all, where everyone feels at home, around a cozy fire. When she performs, she likes to make the audience’s experience livelier and more authentic by joyfully inviting each participant to take an active part in the event. Jacky thus transports us to the depths of a truly humanitarian culture, to bring us the musical, storytelling, and dance traditions so specific to this rich ancestral culture. Each of her appearances guarantees us a moment of uncontrollable joy, for the pleasure of all.

Yoro Noukoussi Benin

Yoro Noukoussi, a multi-instrumentalist, Singer Songwriter and Sound Engineer was born in Northern Benin, West Africa to the Chief of the Waama People. He learned the art of storytelling and drumming from his family, while traveling the region performing and sharing cultural traditions and ceremonies. Having mastered the rhythms of the talking drum (donga), congas (kokomba) and djembe, he is a dynamic and mesmerizing performer, drawing you in to the sights, sounds, and rhythms of West Africa.

Kocassalé Dioubaté Guinea

Kocassalé Dioubaté, from the Mandingo tribe of Guinea, West Africa, is a descendant of his tribe’s djeliba’ (also known as griots): traditional storytellers, entertainers, musicians, praise singers, counselors, and mediators. They are those who keep and preserve the tribe’s oral history and tradition. Koca was born into this inherited lineage of music & arts, and has been playing percussion since his early childhood, and performing internationally. Koca learned to play the traditional drums of his people under the guidance of his father and grandfather – both esteemed musicians and percussionists. He also trained with several “ballets” (traditional performance troupes) throughout West Africa – in Guinea, Gambia, and Senegal.

THEATRE STAGE 8:15PM

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