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.
Sé
Rokia Traoré Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tile bè bò e ye n′ga tile ni tè e ta ye, sabu a bè bò a bè
Bii e se t'o la
Sanji bè bii e ye n'ga sanji ni tè e ta ye, sabu i bè bii a tè
Bii e se t′o la
Dunya bè e ye n′ga dunya tè e ta ye, sabu i bè naa ka
Taa e se t'o la
Ee se t′anw ye jòn'nin ka kuma dun ka
Caan
Nin ka fò jòni ye, dunya sokè
Giribaaw ye
E bè giri giri ka boli ka taa min
E bè giri giri ka boli ka bò min
Taa yòrò t′anw la yan, sekinkò
T'anw ye
Tile mii mana bin o tèbò kura ye
Saan mii mana tèmè o tè sekin kuraya la
Mii mana faara sii ka o tè bò ala tun
Se t'anw ye ee kòrò bèna de
Se t′anw ye ee saa bèna de, se t′anw ye
Ee... dèmisènya bè kè, ko t'anw siran, wa kosi t′anw
Kaaba
N'ga kòrò bèna a yèlèma, ni kòrò nala sabali ka kè
Ne wolofaa kadi ne ye, o tun ye kamalen ye n′ga kòrò
Nana bii a yèlèma
Ne wolobaa kadi ne ye, o tun ye sunkuru ye, n'ga kòrò
Nana...
Ne ye′n miiri ka miiri, ne ma dunya famuya tunyani kelen
Ko
Ni balo kèra tunya ye, saa ye juru ye
Se t'anw ye jòn'nin ka kuma dun ka caan
Kumabaw bè fò, waleebaw bè kè
N′ga saa mana na jònii ka kèta bè jwaaya, se t′anw ye...
Kèlèbaw bè kè, neniibaw bè fò
N'ga saa mana na jònii ka kèta bè baan, se t′anw ye...
Se t'anw ye, dabali t′anw ye,
Ee se t'anw ye jònii ka kuma dun ka caan.
The song "Se" by Rokia Traoré is a reflection on the complexities and contradictions of human life. The lyrics can be interpreted as a meditation on the cyclical nature of existence and the interconnectedness of all things. The refrain "Se t'anw ye" is a call to attention that seems to evoke a sense of urgency, as if the singer is trying to impart some important message to the listener.
The song begins by describing the world as a place of struggle and difficulty. The first two lines ("Ne b'i nyininka dunya jònnin yoo, mun de bè e bolo yaa / Tile bè bò e ye n'ga tile ni tè e ta ye, sabu a bè bò a bè") suggest that life is a journey filled with obstacles, but that it is important to keep moving forward. The next few lines ("Bii e se t'o la / Sanji bè bii e ye n'ga sanji ni tè e ta ye, sabu i bè bii a tè / Bii e se t'o la") continue this theme, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and the need to overcome challenges.
As the song progresses, the theme of interconnectedness becomes more prominent. The lines "Dunya bè e ye n'ga dunya tè e ta ye, sabu i bè naa ka / Taa e se t'o la" suggest that the world is both a part of us and we are a part of it. The refrain "Se t'anw ye" seems to be a reminder that we need to be mindful of our place in the world and our connections to others.
Overall, the lyrics of "Se" are poetic and symbolic, offering a profound reflection on the human experience and our relationship to the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Ne b’i nyininka dunya jòn’nin yoo, mun de bè e bolo yaa
I am just a small part of this big world, trying to find my place.
Tile bè bò e ye n’ga tile ni tè e ta ye, sabu a bè bò a bè
Whatever you do will come back to you, so be careful with your actions.
Bii e se t'o la
This is the truth.
Sanji bè bii e ye n'ga sanji ni tè e ta ye, sabu i bè bii a tè
Whatever you say will come back to you, so be mindful of your words.
Dunya bè e ye n’ga dunya tè e ta ye, sabu i bè naa ka
Whatever you sow in this world, you will reap.
Taa e se t'o la
This is the truth.
Se t'anw ye, dabali t'anw ye
This is the way things are, and we cannot change them.
Ee se t'anw ye jòn'nin ka kuma dun ka
This is how life is, both the good and the bad.
Caan
Understand?
Nin ka fò jòni ye, dunya sokè
Life is full of challenges and the world can be harsh.
Giribaaw ye
But we must keep going.
E bè giri giri ka boli ka taa min
I will keep fighting for what I believe in.
E bè giri giri ka boli ka bò min
I will keep striving towards my goals.
Taa yòrò t'anw la yan, sekinkò
I will keep moving forward, step by step.
Tile mii mana bin o tèbò kura ye
I will reap what I sow.
Saan mii mana tèmè o tè sekin kuraya la
I will always be accountable for my actions.
Mii mana faara sii ka o tè bò ala tun
I will try to do good wherever I can.
Se t'anw ye ee kòrò bèna de
This is just the way things are, and we can't do anything about it.
Se t'anw ye ee saa bèna de, se t'anw ye
This is how life is, we have to accept it.
Ee... dèmisènya bè kè, ko t'anw siran, wa kosi t'anw
We may not like it, but this is the truth, and we must accept it.
Kaaba
Understand?
N'ga kòrò bèna a yèlèma, ni kòrò nala sabali ka kè
We are all part of this world, we must help each other.
Ne wolofaa kadi ne ye, o tun ye kamalen ye n'ga kòrò
We must remember that we are all human beings, no matter our differences.
Nana bii a yèlèma
We are all part of this world.
Ne wolobaa kadi ne ye, o tun ye sunkuru ye, n'ga kòrò
We should treat each other with respect and kindness, no matter our background.
Ne ye'n miiri ka miiri, ne ma dunya famuya tunyani kelen
We are all equal, and we all want to live a good life.
Ni balo kèra tunya ye, saa ye juru ye
We must work hard and do our best in life.
Se t'anw ye jòn'nin ka kuma dun ka caan
This is just the way things are, and we have to accept it.
Kumabaw bè fò, waleebaw bè kè
We must be patient and perseverant.
N'ga saa mana na jònii ka kèta bè jwaaya, se t'anw ye...
No matter what challenges we face, we must keep going.
Kèlèbaw bè kè, neniibaw bè fò
We must be strong and resilient.
N'ga saa mana na jònii ka kèta bè baan, se t'anw ye...
No matter what setbacks we face, we must keep going.
Se t'anw ye, dabali t'anw ye
This is just the way things are, and we can't change them.
Ee se t'anw ye jònii ka kuma dun ka caan.
This is how life is, both the good and the bad.
Writer(s): Rokia Traore
Contributed by Adrian O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alamine Djon
Une voix inévitable ; incontrolable; on a Pas des mots Rokia....Que Dieu exaucé tes voeux!!!! Je t' adore trop ..Aaaaiiii. Mon Dieu...Tu es unique pour moi...😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭...Longue vie Rokia Salutation dépuis à Barcelone!!!
Diarrassouba Yaya
les chansons de Rokia Traoré sont de vrais conseils.
Butter Gurls
Oooh my God I LOVE THIS
Gassimou Coulibaly
Sublime
Maho Jaguar
Magnifique voie
Rokiatou Keita
Excelente song and very meaning full song that awarn people.
busquets da silva
+Bashiru Banci this Is malian language
Tom Ivan Kortkamp
@busquets da silva The language is Bamana.
Mamadou Dembele
Super 👏👏
Ghazi Tabarka
respect from tunisia