It’s inevitable that Fakoly’s reggae stylings will get you dancing, or at least swaying, foot-tapping or head-nodding. But that’s not really what this Ivorian music icon is ultimately aiming for. He reaches much higher. To him, reggae is the most powerful music in West Africa. He posted online recently, “It awakens consciences and moves mindsets. He bothers the strong and defends the weak. And especially speaks for the voiceless.”

For nearly four decades, Fakoly has written political pleas against oppression and injustice, and for education and freedom. Forced into exile in Mali after death threats in his native Cote d’Ivoire, Fakoly has given voice to a whole continent, lyrically crusading for pan-African unity with protest songs like “Plus rien ne m’étonne (nothing surprises me anymore)” and “Ouvrez les frontières (open the borders)” His relentlessness has also driven him out of Senegal for criticizing its president. But his spirited music and urgency have thousands with Fakoly — chanting, marching, standing with him, dancing with him.

- Jason Markusoff