S Kelly: the Ivorian singer immortalized in his village three years after his death
Almost three years following the demise of the renowned Ivorian artist S Kelly, whose real name was Parfait Eric Francis Taregue, his widow, Monica Gindersdorfer, is striving to keep his artistic legacy alive.
S Kelly’s passing left an emptiness in the music scene. Fueled by his memory, his life partner Monica Gindersdorfer initiated the establishment of a memorial museum in his honor, located in the village of Konankakro, near Bouaké. This site gathers personal belongings of the artist, including his clothes, shoes, and various items that reflect his remarkable journey.
In an effort to perpetuate this memorial initiative, Monica is now planning to digitize the entire musical work of her late husband. Speaking on the “Showbuzz” program on the NCI channel, broadcast on Tuesday March 19, 2024, she shared this ambition, demonstrating her determination to preserve and disseminate S Kelly’s art to the entire world. “He also worked on pieces between 2009 and 2017 and we filmed all that; also at Champi Kilo’s studio… I have so many hours of material that we have not yet processed,” Monica mentioned. According to her, all these recordings have been pulled out for digitization purposes. In the coming days, there will be the release of all future recordings on a YouTube channel, which will be accessible to everyone, as well as the project of a book that will compile all interviews and perhaps the “degammages” (antics) of the son of Abla Pokou.
Additionally, a statue of the artist is already prepared to adorn a dedicated traffic circle in his village.