Her repertoire are traditional songs from Ivory Coast, improvisations and own compositions in Bambara with Malinke background, in French and English - in different formations and a capella solo with percussion. In her shows she renders original self composed pop songs, African Highlife and raggae as well as cover versions of popular Miriam Makeba tunes and other international songs.
Djatou Touré visited the biggest art highschool in Ivory Coast: Syndicat National des Artistes Musiciens and Ecole Nationale des Arts - ENA. She was a student of Professor Atta Kouassi (Chef of National Television Orquestra Ivory Coast) and worked for the television magazine Première Chance, Podium and Vacances Culture.
She had concerts with: Aly Keita / Ivory Coast - one of the best African xylophonists (Balaphonist) in the world, of course with her father the well-known master drummer Souleymane Touré / Ivory Coast, Koumba Sidibé / Mali, Tiken Jah Fakoly / Ivory Coast, George Makintosh / Liberia, Les Woudy, Blebo & Go, Djatou Touré & Novo Group Quartett, Djatou Touré & Le Privilège.
Since 1997 she lives in Europe/ Berlin where she works together with AHOI Artists and Event Management. Since 2006 she has her own band -'Le Privilège' (Djatou Touré, voc., percussion/ Ivory Coast; Giuseppe Coppola, drums/ Italy; Koffi Flash, bass/ Ghana, Cremildo de Caifaz, guitar/ Mozambique; Fabian Klebig, keyboard/ Germany).
With her song 'La Fièvre du Carnaval' she is one of the winners of the Music Awards 2007 of the famous Karneval der Kulturen Berlin. The Awards will be presented in Berlin on Sunday 27th May 2007 at Afrika-Bühne - Karneval der Kulturen. The song is releasing on the Karneval der Kulturen 2007 compilation (piranha records) and is played on radio stations like radio Multikulti and Radio EINS.
Thula Baba
Djatou Touré Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thul' u babuzo buya ekuseni.
Thula thul, thula mtwana, thula sana,
Thul'u babuzo buya mathafeni.
Sobe si khona abanye beshoyo,
Bethi buyamtwana ubuye le khaya.
Sobe si khona abanye beshoyo,
Bethi buyamtwana ubuye le khaya.
Thula thula, thula sana,
Thula thula, thula baba,
Thula thula, thula baba,
Thula thula, thula san.
The lyrics to Djatou Touré's song Thula baba tell the story of a mother comforting her child who is crying. The repeated phrase "thula" means "be quiet" in Zulu, and the mother is using it to soothe her child. She tells the child to be quiet and sleep because the father will return in the morning. The mother hears the whispers of others who are also asking the child to be quiet and telling him to come back home. She repeats the phrase "thula" to remind the child to be quiet and not be distracted by the other voices. The mother's love comes through in this song, and she is doing everything she can to make sure her child feels safe and cared for.
The song has a universal message of a mother's love for her child, and this message resonates with people across cultures. The song represents the strength and perseverance of mothers all over the world. It also emphasizes the importance of a parent's role in comforting and supporting their child through difficult times. The repeated use of the phrase "thula" is intentional, as it reinforces the message of the song and creates a sense of rhythm and repetition that is calming to the child.
Line by Line Meaning
Thula thul, thula baba, thula sana,
Hush, hush, my father, be quiet, please
Thul'u babuzo buya ekuseni.
Hush, dear father, come back in the morning.
Thula thul, thula mtwana, thula sana,
Be calm, be quiet, my child, please
Thul'u babuzo buya mathafeni.
Hush, dear father, come back at sunset.
Sobe si khona abanye beshoyo,
We are still here as others say,
Bethi buyamtwana ubuye le khaya.
They say that you should go back home, my child.
Thula thula, thula baba,
Hush, hush, my father,
Thula thula, thula sana,
be quiet, please.
Thula thula, thula baba,
Hush, hush, my father,
Thula thula, thula baba,
be quiet, please.
Thula thula, thula sana.
Hush, hush, my child, be quiet, please.
Writer(s): Bertha Egnos, Basil Kirkby Gray
Contributed by Charlie K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.