Biography

Souleymane Sarr, aka Niominka Bi: the man of the sea who sang unity

In the mists of Bordeaux port, in the mid-1980s, Souleymane Sarr aka Niominka Bi launched melodies that navigated between Jamaican reggae and Serer traditions, with lyrics in Wolof, Serer, and French. Former UN Blue Helmet and pan-Africanist activist, he built a musical bridge between Africa and Jamaica, durably influencing the French underground reggae scene.

In brief


Birth name	Souleymane Sarr
Stage name	Niominka Bi
Birth	February 2, 1956, Guior Island (Senegal)
Death	November 15, 2018, Périgueux (France)
Genre	Reggae — Afro-Jamaican fusion
Language	Serer, Wolof, French
Notable works	Immigré, Tolérance, Shalom Salam

Key dates

Year	Event
1956	Birth on Guior Island, near Niodior, in the Saloum region
1970	Enlistment in the Senegalese army at age 14
1979-1981	Service as a Blue Helmet in Lebanon, within the UN contingent
1982	Settlement in France, arrival in Bordeaux
1984	Founding of the group Niominka Bi and the Ndiaxas Band with French musician Bernard Indeau
1993	Signing with Boucherie Productions label; release of Immigré
1995	Participation in the documentary Bord’Africa by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
2001	Release of Tolérance, produced by Dennis Bovell (LKJ)
2008	Return with Shalom Salam, self-produced, alongside Jamaican Winston McAnuff
2018	Death in Périgueux, at age 62

Musical career

Souleymane Sarr grew up in Niodior, a fishing village on the Saloum Island, at the heart of Niominka territory — a Serer ethnic minority that lives by the sea and makes up 1% of the Senegalese population. His stage name comes from this group: Niominka designates the inhabitants of these islands, and Bi means “that one.” Niominka Bi is “that fisherman,” a title that would stick to his skin for the rest of his life. He joined the Senegalese army in 1970 at age 14 and was sent to Lebanon in 1974 as part of the UN contingent. These nine months of peacekeeping deeply marked him: “It was just eye-catching to make the world think it was doing something,” he would recall.

In 1982, he arrived in Bordeaux, worked in a factory and faced daily racism. There he met Bernard Indeau, a French musician from Aubagne, and together they founded in 1984 the group Niominka Bi and the Ndiaxas Band — “mixture” in Wolof. François Hadji-Lazaro, singer of Les Garçons Bouchers, spotted the group, produced them and signed them to Boucherie Productions. Immigré was released in 1993, followed by Fat Y Yoon in 1994. Niominka Bi toured French stages, sharing bills with The Gladiators, The Wailers, Burning Spear and Lee Perry.

In 2001, the group released Tolérance, produced by Dennis Bovell, famous Jamaican producer. A strong comeback in 2008 with Shalom Salam, recorded between France and Jamaica with Winston McAnuff (Congos). Invited to Jamaica by McAnuff, Souleymane discovered the soil of reggae: “I was able to go into the ghetto, meet Ijahman, U Roy, Gregory Isaacs…”, he tells RFI. The album includes a cover of Fisherman by Congos, re-recorded with Clive Hunt (sound engineer for Alpha Blondy), and a new version in Wolof titled Joowal — “fisherman”.

Major works

Work	Year	Why it’s essential
Immigré	1993	First album, sets themes of identity and belonging
Fat Y Yoon	1994	Confirmation of the Afro-reggae style with Serer traditions
Tolérance	2001	Produced by Dennis Bovell, consecration in the French reggae scene
Shalom Salam	2008	Return recorded between France and Jamaica with Winston McAnuff

Legacy

Niominka Bi marked the Francophone reggae scene with his pacifist and pan-Africanist commitment. He proved that one could dialogue with Jamaican culture without renouncing his Serer roots. His music continues to be discovered and his son perpetuates this musical heritage.