It is 1 am on the streets of Ebimpe in Abidjan and I find myself among thousands of fans trekking a long distance from the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium in the city.
We had just witnessed Cote D’Ivoire beat DR Congo by a goal to nil earlier that Wednesday night, courtesy of a Sebastien Haller stunner in the 65th minute of the nerve-racking game.
The journey by the fans, predominantly Ivorians, who left the stadium on foot did not happen quietly.
Chants filled the air, mixed with orange, white, and green colors. One would think the official Total Energies African Cup of Nations song ‘Akwaba’, which was unveiled weeks ahead of the tournament, would be the underpinning sound.
But a song by Ivorian Producer, Tam Sir, out of nowhere, rose overnight to become the tournament favorite.
‘Coup De Mateau’ featuring Serge, Roseline, Didi B, and Team Paiya has etched itself into becoming the most memorable audio timeline of the tournament, which has been dubbed the most dramatic and exciting yet.
The song, whose title literally means ‘Hammer Blow’ in English, was released as a single on December 8 last year and had been crawling its way into the nooks and crannies of Abidjan before the tournament.
It increased in traction gradually as the Mondial started but went into a different trajectory after the Ivorians beat Senegal to advance to the quarter-finals. It was a crucial victory as it was won on penalties after a thrilling one-all draw.
The players took all these emotions into account when it was time to celebrate the victory, and the DJ understood the assignment by playing ‘Coup De Mateau’.
The iconic reaction of the Elephants to the fast-rising song made waves on the internet, leading to the visuals going more viral. CAF’s video caption on TikTok was ‘Coup De Mateau is taking over’, and boy were they right.
Fast-forward to the night on the streets of Ebimpe a week later, it was evident what this song has become in terms of the identity of the nation as far as the 34th edition of the competition is concerned.
The flanks of the newly constructed linking highways were flooded by residents blasting out the song as fans danced along on their way out.
It had already been a colorful display inside the stadium moments prior, with videos of the iconic dance already spreading like wildfire.
With an occasional clap and the measure of lifting one foot, the reverberation continued all through the rest of the contest.
Tam Sir was part of the headliners for the closing ceremony of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023, together with Serge, Roseline, Didi B, and Team Paiya.
They joined Ivorian global reggae icon Alpha Blondy, and Magic System among other greats at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Ebimpe on Sunday ahead of Les Elephants’ victory against Nigeria’s Super Eagles to clinch the trophy.
As of the end of the tournament, the ‘Coup De Mateau’ video had amassed 25 million views on YouTube and has been played over 5 million times on Spotify alone.
The tournament may have ended, but the echoes of this song will continue to be resounding in the streets, at least until the next AFCON in Morocco next year.
