Disappearance RFI

Alpha Blondy: "Antoinette Delafin was a beautiful soul, a beautiful person and a great professional"

Audio 00:44

Antoinette Delafin alongside Alpha Blondy, during the artist's tour in Burkina Faso in September 2016. © Cyril Étienne / RFI

Text by: Christophe Champin Follow

3 mins

We have learned of the death, Saturday July 9, 2022, of Antoinette Delafin, former journalist of the digital editorial staff of RFI.

Born in 1950 in Besançon, Antoinette Delafin was passionate about the African continent where she had produced numerous field reports.

She has collaborated with many media, including

,

, France Culture, then RFI.

His great adventure was the production, in 2010, with Dramane Cissé, of the cinema documentary 

.

The Ivorian reggae star who wanted to pay tribute to Antoinette Delafin.

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RFI: What is your reaction to the death of Antoinette Delafin

Alpha Blondy:

It saddened me very much, because she was really a very beautiful soul, a hard worker, a lady of heart, who always defended artists with her pen.

She has always done papers that highlighted artists.

As far as I'm concerned, she did some very nice papers on me and throughout the work of constructing this documentary, with Dramane Cissé, Ariane Poissonnier, did me a very great honor.

. 

What prompted you to agree to make this documentary

We were always together, Ariane, Dramane and Antoinette and me.

They found that my artistic life, from “Première chance” to the present day, deserved to be documented.

At first I was reluctant.

Then I accepted.

When I saw the result, I was impressed.

It was very moving for me to see this look in the rear view mirror of my life and my career.

And Antoinette Delafin has put so many details!

She wrote in pictures.

It is a documentary which, beyond the images, is a writing.

You were talking about the fact that it's the only documentary that's been made about you.

Does that mean that to enter a little more into Alpha Blondy's intimacy, you needed that trust? 

Sure.

I'm the homebody type.

Moreover, the people who visit me diligently are rare.

We worked together.

Everything was there to put me at ease.

They reassured me.

They understood my shyness and my paranoia.  

If you had to remember the strong moments that particularly marked you during this shoot with Antoinette Delafin, what would it be?  

That would be when we went to shoot in Israel.

It was really a great moment.

Go to the Wailing Wall, go to the Old City on foot.

And then it was filming.

It was really a very emotional moment for me.

And then, in addition, that she came to Ouagadougou when I had two concerts in Ouagadougou, and then I also believe in Bobo-Dioulasso, in Burkina Faso... These are moments of great friendship, unforgettable moments.

Antoinette was a beautiful soul, a beautiful person, and very professional.   

If you had one thing to say to him, what would it be

I would say, “Mission accomplished.

Cheer !

Rest in peace, in the peace of God, in the arms of God”.

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