Omar Pene

Vocalist and composer Omar Pene has helped shape the development of Senegalese music over several decades. Among the small number of local artists able to stand alongside Youssou N'Dour, he and his group Super Diamano have left a lasting mark on the nation's sound for more than twenty-five years. Although grounded in Senegal's longstanding mbalax rhythms, Pene and Super Diamano incorporate wider influences such as reggae and jazz into their high-energy dance style. Their lyrics address topics including unemployment and contemporary schooling, which is why the Rough Guide: World Music labeled them "the people's band of Dakar's proletarian suburbs."

Born and raised in the working-class Dakar neighborhood of Derkle, Pene has performed vocals for most of his life. His earliest group was Cad, which he joined in 1975 and left after several months. Along with Cheikh Diagne, Bassirou Diagne, and Bazlo Diagne, he joined forces with musicians from Tropical Jazz De Dakar—among them guitarist, harmonica player, and singer Ismael Lo—to establish Super Diamano. The ensemble began with Senegal's traditional repertoire before shifting toward a sharper electric approach once jazz fusion-oriented keyboardist Adama Faye came aboard.

Throughout his leadership of Super Diamano, Pene has navigated repeated lineup shifts. After Lo departed in the mid-'80s to pursue solo work, Mamadou Marga stepped in as a capable replacement. In 1991 Pene rebuilt the ensemble around polished session musicians, and four years later the band performed across Europe and North America.