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.
N'Téri
Rokia Traoré Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kèn fè n'djoko djoukou kan
Né mara n'djoko niouman niouman ni kélén kélén kama
N'to n'damala o bélé béléba
Né bo woussaya, sanou ni wôri yé
Dowgodo nion djoukouya
Dowgodo nion missinia ba
O tè diya to môkôyala
Wa ni bè yé gwanssan yé
Djonti djon na kan bali
Djon ti djon na kan bali
An bè nan nakan bè ni ta wati
Ya dé yé barosso yé to yôrô tè
Kounou kèla dô nièna
Bi sôkômada djona fô lo kô
Bi bè kè dô nièna
Sini fadjiri to sôrô an tchèla
Dounia da no ma dé
Ma bi télé kè
I ti djon nion télé kè habada
Moun dé yé ni diniè diya
Baro douman
Moun dé yé ni diniè diya
Bin ni kélén nia
A ni gnon guèniè koun
Fô dô ka kè kaman yé
Ni djama bèla djèlin kèla woro yé
O siki ti diya
Fô dô ka nalow
Ni djama bè la djèlén kékouniara
O baro ti diya
N'téri ntéri
An tounbè baro douman mounou kè o sandjana
Ni né yé miri , walahi ko bè na wakati
djon bè na konôfô niôkon
Bê ni kanou ba
N'téri ntéri
An toun bè goundoba mounou dow o sandjana
Ni né yé miri, walahi ko bè na wakati
Djon bè na kokènion
Bê ni kanouba
N'téri n'téri
An toun tè baro douman kè wa
N'téri n'téri
An tountè môkô ya sira tama
N'téri n'téri
An toun tè djè ka fô kè wa
Ni né yé miri, walahi ko bè na wakati
Djon bè na kônô fô nion
Bê ni kanouba
Ti ka doloki ni dow kana
Mon amour bè ni térini
Dolokini mi dow ko yi minè
Mon chéri m'bè fôli ki yé
Ti ka doloki ni dow kana
Mon amour bè ni térini
Dolokini mi dow ko yi minè
Mon chéri m'bè fôli ki yé
Wa i tolowlé, i tolowlé, i tolowlé, i tolowlé, i tolow
Tolow mi ma sôbè sa olé nô diniè diya
Wa i tolowlé, i tolowlé, i tolowlé, i tolowlé, i tolow
Tolow mi ma sôbè sa olé nô diniè diya
N'téri niouman ni i niè djô nièrô
An bè nionfê wa kadi
N'téri niouman ni i niè djô nièrô
An bè nion fè wan ti nion djoukouya
N'éri niouman ni i niè djô nièrô
An bi niôkon fè wan ti nion kéléya
N'éri niouman ni i niè djô nièrô
Eh an bi nionfè wa kadi
Wa i tolowlé, i tolowlé, i tolowlé, i tolowlé, i tolow
Tolow mi ma sôbè sa olé nô diniè diya
Wa i tolowlé, i tolowlé, i tolowlé, i tolowlé, i tolow
Tolow mi ma sôbè sa olé nô diniè diya
The song N'Téri by Rokia Traoré is a tribute to the people of Mali and their traditions. The song opens with the line "koni n'to damana ah," which roughly translates to "the one who does not listen, becomes lost." This line sets the tone for the rest of the song which preaches the importance of listening to one's traditions and staying connected to one's roots. Rokia Traoré sings of the djèlin kèla woro, a musician and storyteller in traditional Malian society, and extols the virtues of their art.
The song moves on to talk about the importance of love and commitment, singing "mon cheri m'bè fôli ki yé" or "my love, I'm crazy about you." The chorus repeats the line "N'téri niouman ni i niè djô nièrô," which translates as "listen carefully to the words of the djeli," reminding listeners to value the traditions of their ancestors. The song concludes by repeating the refrain "tolow mi ma sôbè sa olé nô diniè diya," roughly meaning "I raise my voice so the world can hear."
N'Téri is a beautiful and powerful song, filled with emotion and a deep reverence for Mali's cultural traditions. It is a skillful blending of traditional Malian music with contemporary influences, and Rokia Traoré's performance is both passionate and haunting. Though the lyrics are in Bambara, the language of Mali, the song's meaning and message transcend linguistic boundaries.
Line by Line Meaning
Éh, koni n'to damana ah
Oh, the cries of the woman in distress
Kèn fè n'djoko djoukou kan
Her anguished cries echo through the streets
Né mara n'djoko niouman niouman ni kélén kélén kama
Her voice resounds, reaching all the way to the sky
N'to n'damala o bélé béléba
Her tears flow down her cheeks
Né bo woussaya, sanou ni wôri yé
As she mourns, her soul is tormented
Dowgodo nion djoukouya
People stop in their tracks to listen
Dowgodo nion missinia ba
Silencing the bustling town
Dowgodo nion kéléya
As she cries out in desperation
O tè diya to môkôyala
Her words pierce the heart of all who hear them
Wa ni bè yé gwanssan yé
She calls out for help
Djonti djon na kan bali
Everyone is aware of her suffering
Djon ti djon na kan bali
Her pain is felt by all
An bè nan nakan bè ni ta wati
No one can ignore her cries
Ya dé yé barosso yé to yôrô tè
Their hearts heavy with sorrow
Kounou kèla dô nièna
The world is cruel
Bi sôkômada djona fô lo kô
Filled with sorrow and pain
Bi bè kè dô nièna
And our hearts ache with sadness
Sini fadjiri to sôrô an tchèla
Until the morning light shines again
Dounia da no ma dé
The world is full of suffering
Ma bi télé kè
But we must continue to live
I ti djon nion télé kè habada
And not give up hope
Moun dé yé ni diniè diya
The people are moved
Baro douman
With sorrow
Bin ni kélén nia
Our hearts heavy with grief
A ni gnon guèniè koun
We share in her pain
Fô dô ka kè kaman yé
We must come together
Ni djama bèla djèlin kèla woro yé
And work towards a better tomorrow
O siki ti diya
Let our hearts be strong
Fô dô ka nalow
So we can find our way
Ni djama bè la djèlén kékouniara
And build a better world
O baro ti diya
With compassion as our guide
N'téri ntéri
The cries of the woman in distress
An tounbè baro douman mounou kè o sandjana
Echo through the town, a call for help
Ni né yé miri , walahi ko bè na wakati
Her tears flowing, she is in dire need
djon bè na konôfô niôkon
Reaching out to everyone for help
Bê ni kanou ba
In the hope that someone will answer
An toun bè goundoba mounou dow o sandjana
Her cries rise up to the sky, needing to be heard
Djon bè na kokènion
Calling out for help once more
An tountè môkô ya sira tama
Her heart heavy with sadness
An toun tè djè ka fô kè wa
A cry for help, for someone to come
Djon bè na kônô fô nion
Her voice echoing through town
Ti ka doloki ni dow kana
My heart is filled with pain
Mon amour bè ni térini
My love, come and rescue me
Dolokini mi dow ko yi minè
Ease the pain that weights heavy on my heart
Mon chéri m'bè fôli ki yé
My dear, I am in distress
Wa i tolowlé, i tolowlé, i tolowlé, i tolowlé, i tolow
Let us sing, let us sing, let us sing, let us sing, let us sing
Tolow mi ma sôbè sa olé nô diniè diya
And bring peace to my troubled heart
N'téri niouman ni i niè djô nièrô
Her cries reach heaven
An bè nionfê wa kadi
Asking for divine intervention
An bè nion fè wan ti nion djoukouya
Calling on everyone for help
An bi niôkon fè wan ti nion kéléya
Reaching out for help once again
Eh an bi nionfè wa kadi
Hoping for a miracle
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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on Laidu
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