Bernard Cissa, also known as Ben Cissa, was a Senegalese worship leader and evangelist born in 1980 in Dakar. Converted in 1995 after an earlier career in secular music, he became a major figure in gospel music in Senegal, with albums blending African and Caribbean influences. He died on March 13, 2025, in Dakar, at the age of 45.
Bernard Cissa grew up in Dakar in an animist family before coming to Christian faith in 1995. He already had a career in African secular music when he chose to put his talent at the service of his new conviction. This turning point gave rise to a style all his own: joyful, rhythmic songs, carried by mbalax colors and Caribbean influences, with lyrics in French and Wolof.
Over the years, Bernard Cissa became one of the most recognizable voices in Senegalese gospel, with albums that were even broadcast on national television. He was also behind Yakaar TV, launched in April 2022 as Senegal's first Christian television channel. His death on March 13, 2025, at a hospital in Dakar, was felt as a national loss for French-speaking African gospel music.
- Origin
- Dakar, Senegal
- Style
- African and Caribbean gospel (mbalax, afrobeat)
- Active since
- Late 1990s, until his death in 2025
- Good to know
- Founder of Yakaar TV, Senegal's first Christian television channel
How did Bernard Cissa get started?
Born in 1980 in Dakar into an animist family, Bernard Cissa converted to Christianity in 1995. By then, he already had stage experience in African secular music. Rather than giving up his art, he chose to redirect it entirely toward gospel, convinced that music remained the best way to carry a message of hope in his country.
This shift produced a style all his own: festive, danceable melodies, built on West African and Caribbean rhythms, sung in both French and Wolof to reach the Senegalese public as well as the French-speaking diaspora.
What made Bernard Cissa distinctive?
What set Bernard Cissa apart was the infectious joy of his music: lyrics about mercy, love, and living together, carried by a festive energy rather than solemnity. He never separated his work as an artist from his commitment as an evangelist, going as far as creating Yakaar TV in 2022 to give the whole Senegalese Christian community a television platform, a rare move for a worship leader of his generation.
Where should you start to discover Bernard Cissa?
The album "Près du cœur" (2012) is a good place to start, with songs like "Harmoniser" that made a mark on Senegalese gospel and were even shown on national television. "Jakaarlo" (2014) and "Connexion" (2016) continue in the same vein, more French-speaking and international, before his passing in 2025 brought a close to a discography already established as a reference point for the genre.
songs
Harmoniser
The first single from the album "Près du cœur" (2012), this song carried Bernard Cissa all the way to Senegalese television and remains his most recognizable song.
L'amour vivant
Taken from the same album, this song illustrates the blend of African and Caribbean sounds that characterized the artist's style.
Doom ju reer
A song in Wolof that shows Bernard Cissa's local roots, made to reach the Senegalese public directly.
Discography
- 2016Connexion
- 2014Jakaarlo
- 2012Près du cœur
- 2012Best of
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Bernard Cissa?
Bernard Cissa, known as Ben Cissa, was a Senegalese worship leader and evangelist born in 1980 in Dakar. Converted in 1995, he became one of the major figures of gospel music in Senegal until his death in March 2025.
What is Bernard Cissa's best-known song?
"Harmoniser," the first single from the album "Près du cœur" released in 2012, is the song that made him known beyond Senegal and remains the one most associated with his name.
Where can you listen to Bernard Cissa?
His albums are available on streaming platforms and on TopChrétien Musique, and his official music videos are published on his YouTube channel @CissaOfficiel.
Was Bernard Cissa a Christian?
Yes. Born into an animist family, he converted to Christianity in 1995 and then devoted his entire artistic career to Christian music, alongside his commitment as an evangelist.
When did Bernard Cissa die?
Bernard Cissa died on March 13, 2025, at a hospital in Dakar, at the age of 45, after a long illness, leaving Senegalese gospel music in mourning.
What is Yakaar TV?
Yakaar TV is Senegal's first Christian television channel, launched in April 2022 on the initiative of Bernard Cissa to give the country's whole Christian community a platform.