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.
Finini
Rokia Traoré Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hòn finini la i k'i nyèji cè
Jòn kana kasi, kasi tè ko dilan
N'e ni ala diyara k'aw diya k'aw diya k'aw diya dunya
O ta to dunya la a k'i son fin bè tigiya la
N'i ye bè dan surunya la, bè b'i dan jènya la
N'i ye bè dan jènya la, bè b'i dan surunya fènè la
Nyògòn la
Wa dunya ye fin saaba ye: lanyini, sababu ani latikè
Nyèji susa finini
Furumuso kana kasi furu tòròya la
Fantan kana kasi faamaya ko la
Maakòrò kana kasi dèmisènya ko la
Nyèji susa finini, ko bè na nafa n'a finyè bè nyògòn la
I tè ko min la ka o lako dòn, ne m'o ye ne m'o mèn dunya
Nyèji susa finini, jigitanw ka finini
Nyèji susa finini, kònò lafila finini
Nyèji susa finini, cokotanw ka finini
Nyèji susa finin, jigi lamisènya finini
Nyèji susa finini, hòn finini la i k'i nyèji cè
Jòn kana kasi, kasi tè ko dilan
Nyèji susa finini, hòn finini la i k'i nyèji cè
I kana kasi, n'terinin kasi maandi n'ye
Nyèji susa finini... Nyèji susa finini... Nyèji susa finini...
Rokia Traoré's song Finini is a beautifully poetic song that speaks to the cycles of birth, life, and death. The opening lyrics, "Nyèji susa finini, Hòn finini la i k'i nyèji cè, Jòn kana kasi, kasi tè ko dilan," can be translated to "Life is a cycle, It's the same for everyone, We are born, we live, and we die." This line sets the tone for the rest of the song as Traoré delves deeper into the complexities of life and death.
The next verse speaks to the notion that we are all connected in this cycle of life and death, "N'e ni ala diyara k'aw diya k'aw diya k'aw diya dunya, O ta to dunya la a k'i son fin bè tigiya la, N'i ye bè dan surunya la, bè b'i dan jènya la, N'i ye bè dan jènya la, bè b'i dan surunya fènè la." This can be interpreted as the idea that we are all a part of the greater universe, connected to each other and to the earth.
The song continues with its powerful message of interconnectedness, "Wa dunya ye fin saaba ye: lanyini, sababu ani latikè," which means "In this world, everything is connected: humans, animals, and nature." The song concludes with a repetition of the opening and closing lines, "Nyèji susa finini, hòn finini la i k'i nyèji cè, Jòn kana kasi, kasi tè ko dilan" as if to emphasize the cyclical nature of life and the idea that everything is connected.
Overall, Finini is a song that speaks to the beauty and complexity of life and the interconnectedness that exists between all living things.
Line by Line Meaning
Nyèji susa finini
Little by little, the ache dissipates
Hòn finini la i k'i nyèji cè
As the ache goes away, one feels lighter and more free
Jòn kana kasi, kasi tè ko dilan
All the troubles and worries start to fade away into the distance
N'e ni ala diyara k'aw diya k'aw diya k'aw diya dunya
In this world, we are all brothers and sisters, children of the same mother
O ta to dunya la a k'i son fin bè tigiya la
We are all on this earth together, and we should help each other and hold each other up
N'i ye bè dan surunya la, bè b'i dan jènya la
We must look after each other, and give each other what we need
Fin bè tè jònsi kelen bolo, ko bè na nafa n'a finyè bè
When we are all together, working towards a common goal, we can achieve great things
Nyògòn la
This is the truth
Wa dunya ye fin saaba ye: lanyini, sababu ani latikè
This is the world, and it is full of joy, sorrow, and everything in between
Furumuso kana kasi furu tòròya la
The problems and obstacles we face are like big stones in our path
Fantan kana kasi faamaya ko la
But we can overcome them, step by step
Maakòrò kana kasi dèmisènya ko la
And as we do, we become stronger and more resilient
I tè ko min la ka o lako dòn, ne m'o ye ne m'o mèn dunya
And as we face these challenges, we realize that we are not alone in this world
Jigitanw ka finini
Little by little, we find our way
Kònò lafila finini
And we begin to see the light
Cokotanw ka finini
We start to feel hope and optimism
Jigi lamisènya finini
And we start to find solutions
I kana kasi, n'terinin kasi maandi n'ye
As we move forward, we leave our worries and fears behind us
Nyèji susa finini... Nyèji susa finini... Nyèji susa finini...
Little by little, the pain goes away...
Writer(s): rokia traoré
Contributed by Olivia O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@silviac221
Cada canción de Rokia que escucho me parece la mejor.
@BADkanye
❤
@mostafasadaouimossman1804
Wonderful the authentic music true coming deeply form the bottom of the African women's heart ❤️
@dembelehamidou1695
Vraiment rokia tu es meilleure
@ryzlainemarire6094
wouaaa....... magnifique!!!
@robertbechtel4134
...einfach ein sehr guter Song!!!!
@NuclearNoMore
J'adore cette chanson.
@luciemartin3901
Rokia vos chansons me font penser à un ami du Mali que j'ai connu à Montpellier.
@mamoudoudembele1389
Merci beaucoup: Rokia Traoré.
Chanson le fait de l écouter c est très émouvant.
Nous avons toujours besoin de vous , ma soeur.
Vous serez libre in cha Allah.
@shidanearone9466
My one working ear bud has a busted speaker so everything i listen to is super buzzy right now. And this amazing song sounds grungified which is cool