Traoré was born in Kolokani, Mali as a member of the Bambara ethnic group. As her father was a diplomat, she travelled widely in her youth travelling to Algeria, Saudi Arabia, France and Belgium. As a result of this travel, she was exposed to a wide variety of influences.
The Bambara also had a tradition of griot performing at weddings although members of the nobility such as Traoré are discouraged from performing as musicians. Traoré attended lycée in Mali when her father was stationed in Brussels and started performing publicly. As well as guitar she plays ngoni (lute) and balafon.
In 1997 she linked with Mali musician Ali Farka Touré which raised her profile. She won a Radio France Internationale prize as African discovery of 1997, an honor previously won by Mali's Habib Koité in 1993.
Her first album Mouneïssa (Label Bleu), released in late 1997 in Mali and 1998 in Europe, was acclaimed for its fresh treatment and unqualifiable combinations of several Malian music traditions such as her use of the ngoni and the balafon. It sold over 40,000 copies in Europe.
In 2000, her second album Wanita was released. Traoré wrote and arranged the whole album. The album was widely acclaimed with the New York Times nominating it as one of its critics' albums of the year.
Her 2003 album Bowmboï has two tracks recorded with the Kronos Quartet but still sung in the Bambara language, and was awarded the prestigious BBC 3 World Music Award. As of 2005, she has been nominated three times for this award.
In 2008, her latest album "Tchamantché" was released.
ADDITIONAL READING:
Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Rokia Traoré’s Beautiful Africa will be released on April 1, 2013, by Nonesuch Records in France and April 8, 2013 in Europe, Canada and USA. The record was produced by English musician John Parish (PJ Harvey, Eels, Sparklehorse) and recorded at Toybox Studios in Bristol, UK. Its lyrics are sung in the Malian–born Traoré’s native languages of French and Bambara, as well as some English.
Pitchfork described Traoré’s most recent record, 2009’s Tchamantché, as “a guitar album of a particularly understated bent...hauntingly spare yet ridiculously well-defined, the timbre and tone of every string presented in perfect resolution.” And the BBC World Service called it “One of the best albums of the year. An absolute stunner.” Tchamantché also won a Victoires de la Musique (the equivalent of a Grammy Award in France) and a Songlines Artist of the Year Award for Traoré.
The daughter of a Malian diplomat who was posted to the US, Europe, and the Middle East, Traoré studied sociology in Brussels before embarking on her musical career. Although based in Bamako, Traoré has, for her son’s safety, temporarily relocated to Paris due to the current conflict in Mali. Her music draws upon her homeland’s traditions as well as the European and American rock and pop she has listened to throughout her life.
Traoré has explored a breadth of directions in her career. She recently collaborated with Nobel Prize–winning novelist Toni Morrison and MacArthur “Genius” Grant winning director Peter Sellars on the theater piece Desdemona. The piece premiered in Vienna in the summer of 2011 and received its New York premiere at Lincoln Center that fall; its UK premiere was at the Barbican in London in the summer of 2012. The Guardian called it “a remarkable, challenging and bravely original new work.”
The Barbican also produced a three-night series of shows by Traoré that summer, entitled Donguili – Donke – Damou (Sing – Dance – Dream). For the Sing evening, held at the Barbican, Traoré and mandolinist/former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones joined young musicians from Traoré’s training program in Mali, Foundation Passerelle. Dance, at the Village Underground rock club, featured Traoré and her band playing the high-energy, danceable shows she is well known for—joined by Parish on guitar. And for Dream, which took place in an East End theater, Traoré narrated an ancient Malian tale, with occasional musical interludes. Australia’s Sydney Festival also presented Donguili – Donke – Damou in January 2013. Traoré was awarded the inaugural Roskilde Festival World Music Award in 2009 for her work with Foundation Passerelle.
In the autumn of 2012, Traoré joined Damon Albarn’s UK train tour Africa Express, performing scheduled concerts in Middlesbrough, Glasgow, Manchester, Cardiff, Bristol, and London as well as pop-up performances at railway stations, schools, factories, offices, shopping centers, and private homes. Other musicians on the tour included John Paul Jones, Amadou Bagayoko, Baaba Maal, and Paul McCartney.
Aimer
Rokia Traoré Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tant de doutes, tant de questions
D'incertitudes, de convictions
Et se dire
Fin o fin kadi
Fin o fin kagni
Nila kii kada bè yé
Aimer
Quand tu mènes le jeu
Quand tu as la clé
Quand tu perds
Que l'heure est amère
Que tu en as le cœur gros
Aimer
Ce temps qui passe
Qui te méprise
Qui te mène vers la fin
À son rythme
Et se dire
Fin o fin kadi
Fin o fin kagni
Nila kii kada bè yé
La vie
On est, on l'aime
C'est tout c'est ainsi
Lorsqu'elle nous prend
Qu'elle nous agresse
Qu'elle nous caresse
Nous jette à terre
On se relève
Toujours assoiffé d'amour pour elle
Oh je t'aime
Que tu me sois bleue
Que tu me sois grise
Je t'aime
J'accepte tes résolutions
Sans hésitation
Oh je t'aime
Dis-moi
Que serait mon présent
Pour l'amour
Que je porte pour toi
Un chagrin de mort
Une joie de fleur
Ou l'éclat du soleil ?
Oh dis-moi
Aurai-je le choix ?
Me seras-tu cruelle
Ou douce comme tu sais l'être ?
Sais-tu être juste pour changer ?
Je t'aime
Je t'aime
Je t'aime
Je t'aime
Je t'aime
Fin o fin kadi
Fin o fin kagni
Nila kii kada bè yé
Fin o fin kadi
Fin o fin kagni
Nila kii kada bè yé
Nila kii kada bè yé
Nila kii kada bè yé
The song Aimer by Rokia Traoré talks about the various emotions and uncertainties that come with love. The singer reflects on the doubts and questions that arise when one is in love, sometimes leading to conflicting beliefs and convictions. However, despite the challenges that come with love, the singer declares their unwavering affection for life itself. She talks about life as an unpredictable force that can either cause pain or bring joy, but the singer is willing to accept it all, even the difficult parts. She asks life if it will be cruel or kind to her, but she is ready to face its challenges.
Traoré's use of the Malian language Bambara also adds a layer of cultural significance to the song. The repeated phrase "Fin o fin kadi, Fin o fin kagni, Nila kii kada bè yé" translates to "where is the end, where is the limit, nobody knows." This phrase reflects the idea that life is an unknowable journey and that love, like life, is full of ambiguities and uncertainties. The song reminds listeners that even though love can be challenging, it is an essential part of life, and we must embrace it, flaws and all.
Line by Line Meaning
Aimer
To love
Tant de doutes, tant de questions D'incertitudes, de convictions Et se dire
So many doubts, so many questions Uncertainty, convictions and still wonder
Fin o fin kadi Fin o fin kagni Nila kii kada bè yé
Ultimately everything will end Inevitably everything will be gone Nothing lasts forever
Aimer Quand tu mènes le jeu Quand tu as la clé Quand tu perds Que l'heure est amère Que tu en as le cœur gros
To love When you're in control When you have the key When you lose And it hurts badly And you feel heavy-hearted
Ce temps qui passe Qui te méprise Qui te mène vers la fin À son rythme Et se dire
Time passes by It disrespects you It takes you towards the end At its own pace And still we wonder
La vie On est, on l'aime C'est tout c'est ainsi Lorsqu'elle nous prend Qu'elle nous agresse Qu'elle nous caresse Nous jette à terre On se relève Toujours assoiffé d'amour pour elle Oh je t'aime Que tu me sois bleue Que tu me sois grise Je t'aime J'accepte tes résolutions Sans hésitation Oh je t'aime
Life We are in it, and we love it That's all, that's how it is When life takes us It can hurt us, it can be tender It can knock us down But we stand up, always thirsty for love for it Oh, I love you Whether you're blue or gray I love you I accept your resolutions Without hesitation Oh, I love you
Dis-moi Que serait mon présent Pour l'amour Que je porte pour toi Un chagrin de mort Une joie de fleur Ou l'éclat du soleil ? Oh dis-moi Aurai-je le choix ? Me seras-tu cruelle Ou douce comme tu sais l'être ? Sais-tu être juste pour changer ? Je t'aime Je t'aime Je t'aime Je t'aime Je t'aime
Tell me What would my present be For the love I have for you A grief of death A joy of a flower Or the shimmer of the sun? Oh, tell me Will I have a choice? Will you be cruel Or gentle as you know how to be? Do you know how to be fair to make a change? I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you
Fin o fin kadi Fin o fin kagni Nila kii kada bè yé Fin o fin kadi Fin o fin kagni Nila kii kada bè yé Nila kii kada bè yé Nila kii kada bè yé
Ultimately everything will end Inevitably everything will be gone Nothing lasts forever Ultimately everything will end Inevitably everything will be gone Nothing lasts forever Nothing lasts forever
Contributed by Zoe Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Loc Nguyen
on Laidu
What is the translation for the lyrics