UNITED KINGDOM/FILE: West African group Tinariwen - Tuareg rebels bring desert blues to London

Record ID: 452648

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM/FILE: West African group Tinariwen - Tuareg rebels bring desert blues to London
  • Date: 27th March 2007
  • Summary: (AD1) LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (MARCH 23, 2007) (REUTERS) TINARIWEN BAND IN TRADITIONAL TUAREG CLOTHING PERFORMING AT BARBICAN IN LONDON, SAID AG AYAD PLAYING TRADITIONAL CALABASH, PAN TO ABDALLAH AG ALHOUSSEYNI SINGING, PAN TO EYADOU AG LECHE PLAYING ACOUSTIC GUITAR AND JUMPING UP AND DOWN SOUND BOARD WOMAN IN AUDIENCE DANCING
  • Embargoed: 11th April 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
  • Reuters ID: LVA1Y3JHWWKPSF8ZHO9EH134IUCD
  • Story Text: The West African group Tinariwen -- Tuareg rebels from the Sahara -- bring their unique form of desert blues and rock 'n roll to London. Tinariwen is a band with a difference. Originating from Mali in West Africa, they are Tuaregs, "blue men of the desert".
    Their lyrics are inspired by the century-old traditions from the Saharan desert while their instruments are resolutely modern.
    In its early days, the band brought nomads together around a campfire. Now Tinariwen, which is simply the plural of "Tenere", meaning desert, brings people together in venues around the world.
    Singing in Tamashek, the ancient language of the Tuareg, to the tune of electric guitars. Their raw desert blues, mixed with rock n'roll and rap, entranced the audience at London's Barbican theatre last Friday (March 23) night.
    Most of the band members compose their own lyrics and play the electric and acoustic guitar. Abdallah ag Alhousseyni, nicknamed "catastrophe," -- one of his favourite words -- is one of the lead singers. He said the band wanted to bring attention to the plight of the Tuareg people.
    "Actually, we try to engage the audience with our songs, frankly speaking, our songs urge people to act, they all have a message, Tinariwen lyrics all have a message, before, it used to be a message for people living in the desert, and now, we hope to bring this message from the people of the desert to the outside world."
    Ibrahim ag Alhabib, formed the band in Tamanrasset in Algeria in 1979, mixing traditional Tuareg melodies with rai music from Morocco, and drawing inspiration from western pop stars like Boney M and Kenny Rodgers.
    Behind the bands rebel image lies some truth.
    Alhabib fled Adrar des Iforas region of northeastern Mali with his grandmother and went into exile in southern Algeria, after his father was shot dead for supporting the 1963 Tuareg rebellion. He trained in Libyan camps and fought in the second Tuareg rebellion in the 1990s, along with some of the other members of the band with the hope of creating a Tuareg nation.
    These young men were part of a generation of "ishumaren," a Tamashek word derived from the French "chomeur," meaning unemployed. It describes a whole generation of Tuaregs driven from their homes in by the droughts of 1973 and 1985, as well as political conflict and lack of opportunity. This epic displacement transformed Tuareg society and forced it to confront the modern world.
    Eyadou al Leche brings youthful enthusiasm to the band. For him, blues music and Tuareg traditions are natural partners.
    "In our songs, we talk a lot about nostalgia, "assouf," nostalgia, in our language, it is "assouf." In recent years, we discovered blues, before we didn't know about it, so we found out that blues are pretty much the same as "assouf" for us, they have almost similar roots, so we sing a lot about nature, about development, we try to get people to wake up, we urge them to try and get an education, to improve their daily lives."
    Tinariwen songs are not just about suffering and nostalgia, many lyrics simply focus on the beauty of the desert.
    The band's latest album, Aman Iman, is one of the best-known Tuareg sayings, meaning "water is life," or "water is the soul." The saying underlines the fundamental importance of water to life, and also refers to water as a symbol of the soul, of inspiration, of all which defines the heart of man.
    The harsh beauty of the desert is the underlying theme of all the songs.
    "The desert is our life, the desert...I can't be away from it for more than three months, it's like being in love with a woman, how can I explain, there is so little in it, you can't do with it , but you can't do without it," Eyadou added.
    The band is currently touring Europe and is also scheduled to tour the United States and Canada in November later this year.
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