Interview with Laye Ananas
(by Claudia Di Lemme)

C: As official cultural ambassador for Senegal culture, and orchestrator for Lions of Africa, what do you feel you most want to accomplish through your work and that of your dance group?

L: I have been carrying Lions of Africa since 1999, and our aim, aside from entertaining audiences, has always been to shine a positive light on african culture in hopes of destroying its negative image. Although we have come a long way, there is still much to be accomplished. My mission is to bring Lions of Africa around the globe and defend African culture through the beauty of our dance and folklore; to shine a bright light on our culture!

C: What do you feel has to change with regards to Africa, and the way it is globally viewed?

L: Africa is doing its best to change, but it isn't enough. There is so much negativity surrounding it, and so much disorder. There is a major european occupation, and much of Africa is still colonized. The gap in social hierarchy is important; the european white class is rich while the african people remain poor and oppressed. Special treatment is offered to the european white class while we neglect our own people! This is a big problem; a big unfairness and disregard for our own people. When europeans or people from other cultures see a successful black man, thoughts immediately flee towards criminality, and most of us are judged unfairly. This upsets me greatly... I have found myself struggling against this prejudice often during my career.
I also blame the media for portraying Africa in a constant negative light. One often sees the negative aspects of our culture being depicted, like war, famine, poverty, etc. and this affects poorly on african pride. Blacks are not proud to be african! Most of them feel they should imitate american culture, rather than embrace their own, in order to be accepted.  They indulge in americanisms like hip-hop and rap, without knowing its origins, which are african! There is a global mis-communication and mis-representation of Africa, and I am tired of this. I greatly admire Jamaicans, who have managed to stay true to their roots and embrace their origins. I wish others would follow their example...

Many third-world countries, and the poorest of african country residents, feel like they should change who they are in order to be accepted by more powerful institutions.
After being invited by Agasanama, an afro-american student who joined in one of my many workshops in Amsterdam, to come teach in California, I took the opportunity and got the chance to teach at the "City Center Dance Theater" in California, in 1999. That is when I got to see how black americans lived together and behaved in America. I was saddened to witness a lack of african culture. I felt there was still alot of anger in them - there is a strong need for unity within afro-americans; they need a stronger sense of who they are and remember where they come from!
 
C: What about your time in The United States? About your general experience with regards to your career?
 
L: Oh, it was great and I felt a great sense of welcome from my teaching peers. We became a community within the dance school, and Aisha Bashir, an african culture teacher, was especially generous with me. I got the opportunity to meet and teach celebrity dancers and choreographers, including the Jackson dancers who would join in my classes after their sessions. I felt in them a strong desire to re-connect with their african roots.  It was a very positive and up-lifting experience.
 
C: So you said there was a great division in afro-americans. What about africans in Senegal? How do they behave amongst each other?
 
L: I am very much disappointed with the way blacks treat each other in Senegal. There is so much jealousy and envy; people generally hate your success and despise when one attempts and succeeds in bettering oneself. They benefit from your success and simultaneously try to ruin you for it. It is really horrible!
 
C: Why do you think this is? Is is due to the gap in social hierarchy? Is it mainly religious, or does it stem from the political situation?
 
L: I honestly do not know, but in my experience, it is an unfortunate part of senegalese mentally. Many people have tried and temporarily succeeded in destroying my success and many of my most trusted family members and friends have betrayed me along the way. I was never able to comprehend this. In my youth, my family was the poorest in the village, and being seven children we struggled greatly. We have suffered many beatings, and bad treatment from our father and his third wife, after he left my mother and the first. But I never lost sight of wanting to improve my situation while wishing the same for others. One can be poor and still be a good person. I never understood why there exists such a  destructive impulse between senegalese people, and it angers me very much. By destroying one another, we keep ourselves poor and oppressed; when people put you down they inevitably stop the natural progression of their own success. It is infuriating!
 
C: You spoke of betrayals and people attempting to destroy your professional success. What exactly happened, and how were you able to push forward?
 
L: For a while it was difficult, and I suffered greatly. After I temporarily lost my income, in 2002, I was betrayed and deceived by almost everyone I knew and trusted, including my own family! Everyone was so quick to flee from me as soon as I became worthless to them, after many of them shamelessly took part in my financial deterioration.

My most recent betrayal was that of my ex-girlfriend, who left without saying goodbye after I've done everything for her and for the betterment of her career. After a 2-year relationship, I realized she had been planning this betrayal before she came to Amsterdam. I was completely used financially, and deceived emotionally. She was the last person I trusted so entirely and so deeply. After everything we'd been through..
 
C: Why do you think she left so suddenly?
 
L: I am from Muslim faith and she is Christian. There is still a large division between the two faiths in Senegal, and this caused a lot of conflict between her family and herself. They became extremely angry and envious of her success through me, and tried to bring about both of our destructions through religious faith. I believe this 'jealousy', which again is so common between our people, is what inevitably brought her down and it is what I mostly attribute her final betrayal.
 
C: How do they "bring you down"?
 
L: Those who still believe in it use various black magic or "voodoo" against you. Many have used black magic against me in hopes of destroying me in my career. I do not believe in this and so it didn't entirely work. I believe only in one's own strength of spirit and resilience, God's gift, and parental upbringing. Although some of the 'evil-wishers' have succeeded for a while, I have gained so much strength from it now that nothing will ever get in the way of reaching my goal. All the suffering I have undergone in past years has served as a learning experience for me, which I now cherish. It has also served as inspiration, which now shines through in my work. Black magic is negative, and I chose to focus on the positive. I only trust in God, my mother and Sher Yahoup, my spiritual guide - they have been my crutch and support when people were bringing me down. I believe they are my direct link to God/Allah, and my source of strength. People need to stop hanging on to black magic because it is a backward way of thinking and serves only to destroy one another.
 
C: What happened in that period of your life when you say you were let down by the people you most trusted? How did it affect you?
 
L: Since that huge financial loss, my life was completely turned upside down, and as I said, everybody implicated either betrayed me or left me. They spoke behind my back, and plotted to bring about even more destruction, after using me and exhausting my financial resources. Upon meeting some of hose people today, I am greeted by smiles and friendly faces; fakes! Now that I am succeeding again they begin to fear me. I am being watched every step of the way, and I know they are surprised at my resilience when faced with the negativity they project at me.
My 'lions' embody the spirit of my nature; after many years of suffering, I believe I have acquired the strength and spirit of a lion. I am a pisces, a very sensitive and emotional person; I get easily emotional and my feelings run deep. I believe this shines through in my life's work, and through the highly-charged emotional performances of Lions of Africa.

C: You spoke earlier about the afro-american youth. What about the african youth and their situation?
 
L: Yes, I feel very sorry for their situation and I feel like reaching out to help them. I especially feel sympathetic towards artists, because I know just how difficult it is to pierce through and make something of yourself in a country that doesn't give you many chances to make something of yourself. I also feel very sad for the sick and disabled youth in Africa, who are without medical aid or proper resources. Much of my income and profit from shows or workshops goes towards parents and organizations of Senegal with very limited financial situations. We have also funded schools because education is the key in bettering one's situation and succeeding professionally. The doors of opportunity are still very much closed to African people. We are very restricted in our travels outside the country, and generally very limited within our own country. Many europeans are able to come and reap the benefits of our land and country where as we africans do not have the same privilege. This is why I admire celebrities such as Bono, Lady Diana, Oprah, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Joop van de Eade, Claus, etc, who have brought global attention to Africa and have done so much to help improve the situation. People need to help one another, and I hope these popular figures can serve as examples and role-models for present and future generations.
 
C: What is your ultimate desire for yourself and for Senegal?
 
L: I am a changed person after the struggles I have undergone. Lions of Africa have the power and potential to show a crystal-clear depiction of the good in Senegal and in Africa. My strongest wish is to wash away the dirty, negative image the world has of Africa, and show the magnificence of its culture.