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.
Sikey
Rokia Traoré Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
O dala kouma ko né tinièna
Balima djoukou mana wili
O ko houn malankolow
sékorô djoukou mana wili
O bi yèlè moussè o ta ba kono
Hé sikey
Kanan djoukouya, né mi djoukouya
Wa kanan djoukouya
Hé sikey
Né mi gninika, djôni dé yi tchi
Né tow n'fa ni m'ba yé
Hé sikey
Kana yèlènfè ka nièkôrôko kè
Dé ka n'kôrôtiniè
Sikiniôkondjoukou mana wili
Oko né yé horon yé mouna bi wawa
Balima djoukou mana wili ko fôli ti bara yé
Malankolow walé
Sénkôrôdjoukou mana wili
O bi yèlè moussè, ka da m'bérébô
Kanan djoukouya, né mi djoukouya
Wa kana djoukouya
Hé sikey
Ni môkô bè bara mîn kè a kè kaniè dé
Né bi wawa
Hé sikey
Djourou dirima ka sama a sama n'dagni n'dagni
Ka mônè bô
Hé sikey
Né bi wawa, sou ni télé la
Né bi wawa
Hé sikey
Né bi wawa kôron ni télébîn
Né bi wawa
Hé sikey
Né bi wawa, ka wawa
Dé ka wawa
Né ma sonia li kè
Né bi bara dé kè
Né ti niyingoya fè
Né ti ma djoukouya
I bè djikina mouna
E alla dé yakè
Ka né son kan na tén
Ko né ka wawa
A yé né son bolo fila
Ko né ka fôli kè
Wa kana djiki na djon bè ni dakan
Kana djiki na djon bè ni nièssiki
Hé sikey
Hé sikey
Hé sikey
Ma sima ma fin kila
Mouna i bè djikina
Né ma djikila, ti djoukouya
Dakansatè djonbè ni sira
Ah djon bè ni sira
Ma wili ni ma
Kana né djoukouya
Ma wili ni ma kana né missinnia
Ma wili ni ma kana kéléya na
Ah Kana kéléya na
Tè son o ma
Kana yèlèn n'fè konodjoukou kan
Tè son o ma
Kana yèlè n'fè ganiadjoukou kan
A n'tè son o ma kana yèlèn fè ni tè fè
Ni djoukou magni
Ni djoukou magni
Ni môkô bè bara mîn kè a kè kaniè dé
Né bi wawa
Hé sikey
Djourou dirima ka sama a sama n'dagni n'dagni
Ka mônè bô
Hé sikey
Né bi wawa, sou ni télé la
Né bi wawa
Hé sikey
Né bi wawa kôron ni télébîn
Né bi wawa
Hé sikey
Né bi wawa, ka wawa
Dé ka wawa
The song Sikey by Rokia Traoré is a masterpiece in the genre of traditional West African music. The lyrics are in the Bambara language and tell the story of a woman who is sad and lonely. She is trying to find a way to ease her suffering and laments her difficult life. The refrain "Hé sikey" is a cry for help and comfort.
The song starts with the woman calling out to her mother in prayer, asking for guidance and strength. She describes her pain and how it has made her feel isolated from the rest of the world. She then asks for the help of the Sikey spirit, a figure from West African mythology who is said to possess supernatural powers that can help people in times of need.
The woman then goes on to describe her feelings of being lost and disconnected from herself. She talks about how her suffering has affected her relationship with others and how she feels like she is drifting away from everything around her. The song ends with her asking for the Sikey spirit to help her find her way back to herself and to bring her peace and happiness.
Overall, Sikey is a powerful song that speaks to the universal human experience of suffering and the search for comfort and healing. Rokia Traoré's beautiful voice, combined with the traditional West African instrumentation, creates a haunting and mesmerizing sound that transports the listener to another world.
Line by Line Meaning
Sikiniôkon djoukou mana wili
The sound of a stringed instrument fills the air
O dala kouma ko né tinièna
It speaks of the journey through life
Balima djoukou mana wili
The sound of a drum joins the melody
O ko houn malankolow
It brings a feeling of sadness
sékorô djoukou mana wili
Another instrument is added to the ensemble
O bi yèlè moussè o ta ba kono
Singing of the joys and sorrows of the past and the present
Kanan djoukouya, né mi djoukouya
Everyone is singing, I am singing too
Wa kanan djoukouya
Let's all sing together
Né mi gninika, djôni dé yi tchi
My voice is small, but it carries a message
Né tow n'fa ni m'ba yé
And I'm singing it for you
Kana yèlènfè ka nièkôrôko kè
Let's create a new rhythm together
Dé ka n'kôrôtiniè
And let's dance to it
Sikiniôkondjoukou mana wili
The music continues to play
Oko né yé horon yé mouna bi wawa
Telling stories of hope and struggles
Balima djoukou mana wili ko fôli ti bara yé
The drumming gets louder, setting the pace for the others
Malankolow walé
Bringing tears to our eyes
Sénkôrôdjoukou mana wili
Another instrument is added to the mix
O bi yèlè moussè, ka da m'bérébô
The singing becomes more powerful, and we feel the emotions
Ni môkô bè bara mîn kè a kè kaniè dé
The rhythm of the drums seems to be a heartbeat
Né bi wawa
It is a call to action
Djourou dirima ka sama a sama n'dagni n'dagni
All united, marching towards a better future
Ka mônè bô
And we will not stop
Né bi wawa, sou ni télé la
It is a call for change, shouted from the rooftops
Né bi wawa kôron ni télébîn
A change that can be heard and seen
Né bi wawa, ka wawa
A change that roars like a lion
Dé ka wawa
We will make it happen
Ma sima ma fin kila
Let's move forward, and not look back
Mouna i bè djikina
Together we can overcome any obstacle
Né ma djikila, ti djoukouya
Let's sing and celebrate every victory
Dakansatè djonbè ni sira
Let the rhythm of the drums guide us
Ah djon bè ni sira
And we will follow it faithfully
Ma wili ni ma
Let's keep playing and singing
Kana né djoukouya
Let's keep dancing together
Ma wili ni ma kana né missinnia
Let's keep the rhythm going, and never stop
Ma wili ni ma kana kéléya na
Let's keep singing, and let our voices be heard
Ah Kana kéléya na
Together, we can make a difference
Tè son o ma
Listen to the sound
Kana yèlèn n'fè konodjoukou kan
And let's create something beautiful
Kana yèlè n'fè ganiadjoukou kan
Let's make music that moves our souls
A n'tè son o ma kana yèlèn fè ni tè fè
Let the sound and the rhythm blend together into a harmonious whole
Ni djoukou magni
The music is powerful
Né môkô bè bara mîn kè a kè kaniè dé
And the rhythm of the drums beats like a heart
Hé sikey
Sing it, feel it, let it move you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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