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// Tiken Jah Fakoly
Tiken Jah Fakoly
Born into a griot family on June 23rd 1968, Doumbia Moussa Fakoly soon discovered the stature of his warrior heritage in his northwest Ivorian town of Odienné. His ancestor Fakoly Koumba Fakoly Daaba was part of a proud Malinke empire that ruled the West African region in the 13th century. Young Doumbia soaked in the oral griot tradition which recounted his ancestor’s feats, and combined it with a passion for music and dance.
In 1987 Tiken set up his first band, Djelys and, a year later he met the Ghanaian guitarist Joffrey with whom he recorded his first demo. Within five years, his reputation as an electrifying live performer had spread beyond the mainly Muslim north of the Côte d’Ivoire and Djelys hit the cultural capital Abidjan. By 1994 Tiken’s songs from his second album “Missiri” had become anthems for the country’s disenfranchised youth. They mainly chronicled the corruption and racism of a political elite that was leading the country into civil war.
In 1996 Tiken’s album “Mangercratie” went well beyond the nation’s frontiers and addressed issues of nutrition, health and justice for all. “My aim is not to hurt people but to wake them up,” he exclaimed in a 2005 interview. And rouse them he certainly did, haranguing his followers at concert halls throughout West Africa that packed in tens of thousands of the excluded youth called “bramagos” (a word taken from the rough ghettoes of Abidjan). The album topped the 500,000 mark in Africa alone, and was released in Europe in 1998.
“Mangercratie” also established Tiken Jah in France’s African diaspora, which also responded warmly to his follow-up albums “Cours d’histoire” (mixed in the legendary Tuff Gong studios of Kingston), and “Françafrique”. The latter maps out the mafia-like links between the French authorities and the leaders in its former African colonies. The lyrics are often inspired by the works of the NGO “Survie” (see www.survie-france.org). The title track includes the following lyrics: “They sell us arms/ while we’re fighting each other/ They pillage our riches/ And are surprised to see Africa always at war.” But there are also uncompromising words for the leaders at home in “Justice”: “Justice, you aren’t made for us alone/ These people think they are above it/ And we are always the victims/ Wake up justice.” And, in “On a tout compris”, Tiken denounces the corruption that is undermining his society: “Go and tell the illusion-sellers/ That our consciences are not for sale” Despite the openly provocative denunciation of French politics, the album reaped France’s prestigious “Victoires de la musique” award for Best Reggae/Ragga/World album 2003.
The album’s hard-hitting lyrics are amplified by a driving reggae, made-in-Jamaica. For Tiken had harnessed the production know-how of Tyrone Downie, and invited Sly and Robbie to play the bass and drums, respectively. There are also the guest appearances by U Roy and Anthony B. This same Jamaican trio of Downie-Sly-Robbie is maintained for his 2004 release “Coup de gueule”, a title which pretty much sums up Tiken Jah’s career: “Venting my anger”. This time Tiken allied the Caribbean groove with the appearance of the Senegalese superstar Didier Awadi and the multi-instrumentalist Saramba Kouyaté.
2005 marked Tiken Jah’s decision to bring his militant music to the English-speaking world. The limited success of the Outburst releases of his sixth and seventh albums, “Françafrique” and “Coup de gueule”, resulted in a re-release by Wrasse records that brought the CDs’ best songs together in a 14-track album. This condensing process makes Tiken’s messages against oppression, injustice and poverty all the more powerful.
But it is live that this soft-spoken music giant is at his most impressive. I have seen him set alight 40,000 delirious Malians in Bamako’s Modibo Keïta Stadium with a high-powered performance that tested the limits of the security forces in place. Wherever he goes he seduces the “masses” with his denunciations of hypocrisy and demands for equality. It is this honesty that has cost him his home in the Côte d’Ivoire and forced him into exile since the 2003 conflict began. “I don’t know how to live any differently than with my conscience,” he told me at an October 2005 concert in Geneva to combat malaria. “I must speak for the downtrodden and give them hope. They must wake up to the oppression that is engulfing them”.
November 2005
Daniel Brown
Mondomix
// ALSO
- L'Africain
- African Revolution
- Ivory Coast: artists speak out
- Asa and Tiken Jah Fakoly live at the Barbican 4 April 2011
- New Awards for World Music
- Toumani Diabaté, Toumani Diabaté - My mission is to play
- Baaba Maal, Baaba Maal - Voice of the people
- Youssou N'Dour, Interview
// DISCOGRAPHY
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L'Africain (Album)
Coup de Gueule (Album)
Cours d'histoire (Album)
Missiri (Album)
African Rebel Music (Compilation) (Album)
Françafrique (Album)
Mangercratie (Album)// LINKS
RELATED ARTISTS
>> Youssou N'Dour
>> Asa
>> Ba Cissoko
>> Amadou et Mariam
>> Casey
REPORTS
// CONTACT
Barclay (Label)
Tel : 33 (0)1 44 41 95 95 Fax : 33 (0)1 44 41 95 64
16 rue des Fossés St Jacques Paris FRA 75005
Tiken Jah Fakoly's Website
Manager (Agent)
FRA
Send an email
Tiken Jah Fakoly's Website
Tourneur (Tourneur)
FRA
Send an email
Tiken Jah Fakoly's Website
// POST A COMMENT
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Moussa
24/09/2008
Je taime mon frère
Samassi
14/11/2008
Très satisfait de toi grand frère.Continue ainsi et même tes ennemies ne pourront rien contre tes succès.Parce que tout simplement c'est la volonté du tout puisant. Ton jeune frère Moussa SAMAASI
kone souleymane
17/12/2008
salut koro tu es tout sauf un rebelle et même si tu l'es tu n'es pas pire que ceux qui t'accusent courage et continue de nous donner tant d'espoir
FOFANA HAMED RIBAH
23/12/2008
Salut moi j'ai toujour été fiers de toi mon fan TIKEN JAH FACOLY. Je salut ma famille et tous ceux qui me connaissent. Quant a mon FAN je te donne ma benediction et je meur de te connaitre et te toucher sur tous. SVP si tu vois mon message appel moi car je serai fous de joie en te voyant. QUE LA GRÂCE DE DIEU SOIT AVEC VOUS TIKEN JAH FACOLY.
essawak
08/01/2009
Salut TIKEN, juste pour vous dire que vous êtes la voix des sans voix. Je vous encourage beaucoup, que Dieu nous aide!
Freedom
13/02/2009
" I have a dream..." : un concert de Tiken au pied de la falaise de Bandiagara , pour mes amis dogon qui l'aiment tant...et pour moi ! Bravo pour votre engagement contre l'excision et votre soif de justice en général...MERCI d'essayer !
charles-antoine
03/03/2009
puisse le message etre repris sur la scene politique francaise, que les jeunes de france dont je fais partie commencent a comprendre leur part de responsabilité. le message de Tiken Jah doit etre entendu pour que les Francais realisent ce qui se passe en leur nom.
beeves
14/05/2009
je suis fière de toi mon frère Tiken
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