‘From the Desert Sands of the Sahara Comes North African Rock Music Stardom’: Meet Tinariwen, the Tuareg Musicians Redefining the Sounds of Protest Songs in Algeria, Libya, and Mali
By: Claire Boyle/Arab America Contributing Writer
Introduction and Tinariwen’s History:
Who is the North African band, Tinariwen, and why is their music so important? Today, let us meet them and listen to the wonderful sounds of Tinariwen. “Tinariwen is the plural form of ténéré in the Tamasheq language. The name means ‘deserts’, so the band’s name loosely translates to ‘People of the Desert’”. Tinariwen is a band made up of Tuareg musicians whose roots are originally from the Sahara Desert in Mali. They officially formed in Algeria. In fact, their ensemble was founded “in Algerian and Libyan refugee and rebel camps.”
Their members had to temporarily move to Algeria because of the Tuareg Rebellion that occurred from 1990-1995. Tinariwen started out as a band in 1979 by playing weddings and baptisms in Algeria. Up until about 2001, Tinariwen was mostly only famous as a local act within the desert regions of Algeria and in Mali when they returned after a peace accord in the 1990s. But then, in the early 2000s, they became an internationally-known musical sensation because of the efforts of the French world music band, Lo’Jo, who promoted their music outside of North Africa. The rest is history as this amazing group of musicians now tours the world in so many different countries.
Musical Style and Song Inspirations:
So, what is the musical style of Tinariwen? Their songs consist of Malian genres including “Tishoumaren“. This is a percussive, rock-oriented desert blues which often addresses social and political issues,”. Tinariwen’s legacy is one of protest music that addresses critical issues in their homeland of the Sahara Desert. These issues included the theft of their ancestral land, water problems, access to healthcare, and their status a minority in Mali. The lack of acceptance and violence in their homeland from numerous civil wars are why Tinariwen is now mostly located in Algeria and Libya. Their music has also been influenced by other genres including American Rock ‘n’ Roll, Blues, Jazz, and international styles.
Tinariwen also draws musical influence from diverse genres including “radical Moroccan protest songs, Algerian Rai, and American rock musicians such as Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix,”. Their instrumentation tends to include electric guitars, drums, various percussive instruments, bass guitar, vocals, hand-clapping, and the occasional acoustic guitar or flute. Their rhythms and beats are rousing. But, Tinariwen also has tracks that are nice to just sit down, relax, and meditate upon their sounds. They are especially amazing to listen to when you are traveling through North Africa by bus, taking in the beautiful countryside, mountain, and desert-scapes of the region.
Tinariwen has collaborated with numerous famous musicians throughout the world. They include the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the New Orleans-based The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Nels Cline, Matt Sweeney, Alain Johannes, and others. They have a very global sound and again, that is very indicative of their Tuareg roots who are desert nomads. And this vibe is present in all of their music, videos, performances, and even Tinariwen’s traditional attire.
Albums:
Tinariwen has released ten albums, including some of their live albums of various festivals they have played over the years. Their first major-label release was The Radio Tisdas Sessions in 2002. This one has a little bit more of an acoustic vibe with rock elements infused within. Then in 2004, 2007, and 2009 came Amassakoul, Aman-Iman: Water is Life, and Imidiwan: Companions. The years of 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2019 brought the albums of Tassili, Emmaar, Inside/Outside: The Joshua Tree Acoustic Sessions, Live in Paris, Elwan, and their most recent release, Amadjar. For more information on the tracklisting of their albums, you can visit their website here!
As their music has evolved over the years, it has gotten more of an electric quality to it. In 2012, Tinariwen won a GRAMMY Award for Global Music Album of the Year for Tassili. Finally, their music is extremely popular throughout the Maghreb region of North Africa. You will frequently hear it played on buses in Morocco, Libya, and Algeria. A bus in Morocco was my first portal to the beautiful sounds of Tinariwen. I hope you will find yours here, too.
Music Samples and Anecdotes:
Tinariwen’s music is so beautiful in that their songs almost have an ethereal tone to them. In fact, when you listen to some of their music, you can almost get a sense of the desert sands that birthed these songs as well as the hardship and inequities that Tuaregs have experienced over the years. To get a glimpse of some of their music, we have attached some videos below for your enjoyment! Take a look!
Amassakoul ‘N’ Ténéré is by far my favorite song by Tinariwen. This was the first song I heard when I got to Morocco, and I instantly fell in love with it. Thankfully, later in our trip, our tour guide gave us the name of this wonderful band. After hearing this song, I became a Tinariwen fan for life. Just imagine yourself on a tour bus riding through the Moroccan countryside while this song is playing on the radio. Ahh, that was bliss!
Dualahila ar Testinam is another favorite of mine. Again, I experienced and first synthesized this song on that same bus through Morocco. I loved the stirring rhythms and the call-and-response that is in this song. It’s just a fun song and I very much enjoy this one!
Cler Achel is another beautiful piece. Like the previous song, it also has this call-and-response feel, and its beat is rousing. Cler Achel is supposed to be a “lament of the struggles of the Tuareg people and the resulting separation from their loved ones.” I also heard Cler Achel when I was in Morocco.
Afours, Afours is a recently-discovered song. I really enjoy this one because it is a bit more of an acoustic sound with some electric guitar mixed in. It is utterly beautiful. I had to share this one with all of you because its instrumentation is stunning.
Conclusion:
Thank you for joining me on this journey to explore the wonderful sounds of Tinariwen. The original concept of the band was thought out in Mali, but they came together as a group over shared experiences in Algerian and Libyan refugee camps, so I see them as being part of the Arab World. Their music is beautiful, and those ethereal sounds have the ability to transcend country, boundary, life, person, world, struggle, identity, and I am hopeful that you will enjoy their music, too.
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