An estimated 100,000 people turned out for the weeklong Festival des Musiques Urbaines d’Anoumabo in Côte d’Ivoire’s economic capital, Abidjan. A raucous mix of music, debates on societal issues, sports, and even a Kids Festival planting kernels for the future. But this 17th edition of FEMUA turned more than heads: with road safety as its central theme and Guinea as guest-of-honor, the event danced on a tightrope suspended between music, civil society, and soft power politics.