Loping camels, blowing sand dunes, and, oh yes, veiled dancers -- these are the favorite images that the West loves to associate with desert cultures. Ironically, the Sahara tribes that nurture these very elements have been under siege for decades. Drought, war, and oppression have pushed the nomadic lifestyle onto the edge of extinction and Tuaregs -- the legendary blue men of the Sahara -- have been fighting to get it back.
Covered in sweeping, indigo-dyed (hence the name blue men) robes that obscure their faces, Tuaregs have existed since antiquity. For centuries, they have crossed the Sahara Desert that runs across northwest Africa and established a rich culture noted for military ability, silver and gold craftsmanship, and veiled men instead of women. Political turmoil related to drought and government apathy led to fierce Tuareg rebellions in Mali and Niger during the '90s. The uprisings created a community of exiled Tuaregs, separated for the first time from the desert culture that had sustained them from the beginning.
Tinariwen (which means desert in plural) was created as a response to this separation. The six-member group of exiled Tuaregs formed in Algeria in 1979, driven by the need to express the realities of life in exile. "The impulse was to write songs about what was happening then and there to young Tuaregs," says Andy Morgan, manager and translator for the group. "They were forced by drought and oppression to leave their homes in Mali and Niger to travel to places like Libya, Algeria, and Burkina Faso, to get work to support themselves and their families back home. These were very hard and emotionally taxing times. None of the traditional songs expressed these new circumstances. So there was a need to create a new repertoire."
That repertoire included a raw, rolling sound that captured the pain of their vanishing culture and their hope for the future. These Sahara songs are dominated by pure electric guitar riffs, spare percussion, and moody vocals, which echo American blues with uncanny clarity. This wasn't mere coincidence however, since the origins of the blues can be traced back to the region around the Niger River, where it turns south after flowing through the desert and towards the coast of Nigeria. It's an area where the Tuaregs have lived for centuries, so this blues legacy is as much a part of their culture as camels, robes, and sand dunes.
On Amassakoul (World Village), Tinariwen's hypnotic recent release, the group crafts a memorable melange of blues rhythms swept up in desert roots. On the opening tune, "Amassakoul 'N' Ténéré," John Lee Hooker riffs are laced with derbouka drums for a funky groove that recalls blues, rock, and African music all at once. "Arawan" offers up an artful Tamashek (Tuareg language) rap complete with a trilling female chorus and sparse base lines, while "Oualahila Ar Tesninam" rips with the hard rockin' blues that used to inspire social movements. It's the melancholy "Ténéré Daféo Nickchan" swirling with tzamart flute and nostalgic desert memories that fully expresses the meaning of asouf or desert blues.
"The aim of the music is to transmit that deep sense of longing, nostalgia, and pain that comes from exile and being far away from friends, loved ones, and lost brothers," says Morgan. "The Tamashek have a word for that feeling which is 'assouf.' It's really like the blues."
On the recently released Festival In The Desert DVD (World Village) -- a filming of the annual music festival that celebrates Tuareg culture in Essakane, Mali -- one gets a firm sense of the vitality of desert culture and history. Showcasing established Malian stars such as Oumou Sangare, Ali Farka Toure, and Django as well as Western blues/rock stars Robert Plant and Justin Adams, the festival is set in the middle of the Sahara with traditional music, dance, and culture of the desert mingling with modern instrumentation. At the heart of this 2003 festival is Tinariwen, playing soulful and heartfelt rebel music. Crowding the stage with the electric guitars that replaced traditional ngoni lutes decades ago, they aroused the audience with bluesy tributes to the beauty and strength of the Tuareg culture.
"They would like to give their listeners an understanding of the richness of Tuareg culture, of the suffering of its people, and the sense of the good atmosphere and joy that exists when desert people get together to celebrate," says Morgan.
2004 WORLD CHAMPS |
