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.
Tchamantché
Rokia Traoré Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dja dô bè né kô né mo don
Kana niè filè
Dja dô bè né niè toun modon
Ounhoun i mayé wa
Djonni bè koko la
I bè tchamantchè
I bè koko la douniaso yan
I bè tchamantchè
A ou yé tâ fô massakè ou yé
Mounou ma dan sôrô ou yèrè la
Ou bè koko la douniaso yan
Djonni bè koko la i bè tchamantchè
A ou yé tâ fô sounkouroun tchèniyi yé
Nalé ma dan sôrô a yèrè la
A bè koko la dounia so yan
Djonni bè koko la i bè tchamantchè
I bè koko la douniaso yan
Djonni bè koko la i bè tchamantchè
Né yén kofilè
Dja dô bè né kô né mo don
Kana niè filè
Dja dô bè né niè toun mo don
Ounhoun i ma yé wa
Djonni bè koko la
I bè tchamantchè
I bè koko la douniaso yan
Djonni bèkoko la
I bè tchamantchè
La musique de la vie
Se danse en cercle
On tourne, et on tourne
Et on tourne
Et on tourne en rond
Rotation
On entre dans la danse
On se met au milieu
Entre ceux qui nous suivent
Et ceux que l'on suit
Relativité
On entre dans la danse
On sort de la danse
Ça tourne, et ça tourne
Et ça tourne
Et ça tourne toujours
Éternité
Les plus grands de ce monde
Sont ceux dont les hommes
Se rappellent en bien
Célébration
Ceux qui ont repéré, esquivé
Évité, contourné, maîtrisé le mal
Afin que tranquilles
Soient les hommes
Dans leur danse
Sagacité, anticipation, modération
Ceux qui, parmi les hommes
Sans orgueil, ni excès
Mais avec grandeur d'âme
Ont mené la danse
Humilité, détermination, humanité
Swinger la vie
Super groove politique
Bouger c'est cool
Harmonie religieuse
Tiki, tiki bing, bing né bèn don
Super beat diplomatique
Harmonie politique
Super groove religieux
Super beat
Super groove...
The lyrics to Rokia Traoré's song Tchamantché describe the circle of life and how it is danced in a continuous cycle. The opening lines, "Né yén kofilè, Dja dô bè né kô né mo don" roughly translate to "we enter the dance, we must go and we come", setting the tone for the circular and cyclical nature of life. The song speaks to the relativity of life, the ebb and flow of good and bad times, and the celebration of those who have navigated life's challenges with sagacity, anticipation, and moderation.
Traoré's use of West African rhythms and instruments, such as the kora and ngoni, blends with her heartfelt vocals to create a hypnotic effect, adding to the idea of music as a communal celebration of life's journey. The song also touches on themes of humanity, diplomacy, and religion, suggesting that in order for people to move forward in harmony and peace, they must come together and celebrate life through their different experiences and beliefs.
Overall, Tchamantché is a beautifully crafted song that speaks to the human experience in a profound and relatable way. Traoré's use of poetic language and traditional African rhythms creates a unique musical experience that transports the listener to a different world and inspires them to appreciate the beauty of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Né yén kofilè
The music of life
Dja dô bè né kô né mo don
Is danced in a circle
Kana niè filè
We turn, and we turn
Dja dô bè né niè toun modon
And we turn around
Ounhoun i mayé wa
Rotation
Djonni bè koko la
We enter the dance
I bè tchamantchè
And we put ourselves in the middle
I bè koko la douniaso yan
Between those who follow us
A ou yé tâ fô massakè ou yé
And those we follow
Mounou ma dan sôrô ou yèrè la
Relativity
Ou bè koko la douniaso yan
We enter the dance
A ou yé tâ fô sounkouroun tchèniyi yé
We exit the dance
Nalé ma dan sôrô a yèrè la
It spins and spins
A bè koko la dounia so yan
Eternity
I bè koko la douniaso yan
The greatest among us
Djonni bè koko la
Are those who are remembered well
La musique de la vie
Celebration
Se danse en cercle
Those who spotted, avoided, circumvented,
On tourne, et on tourne
Mastered evil
Et on tourne
So that men can dance peacefully
Et on tourne en rond
Wisdom, anticipation, moderation
Rotation
Amongst humans
On entre dans la danse
Without pride or excess
On se met au milieu
But with greatness of soul
Entre ceux qui nous suivent
Swinging life
Et ceux que l'on suit
Super political groove
Relativité
Moving is cool, religious harmony
On entre dans la danse
Tiki, tiki bing, bing né bèn don
On sort de la danse
Super diplomatic beat, political harmony
Ça tourne, et ça tourne
Super religious groove, super beat
Et ça tourne
Super groove
Et ça tourne toujours
And it spins and spins
Éternité
Eternity
Les plus grands de ce monde
The greatest among us
Sont ceux dont les hommes
Are those who are remembered well
Se rappellent en bien
Celebration
Célébration
Those who spotted, avoided, circumvented,
Ceux qui ont repéré, esquivé
Mastered evil
Évité, contourné, maîtrisé le mal
So that men can dance peacefully
Afin que tranquilles
Wisdom, anticipation, moderation
Soient les hommes
Amongst humans
Dans leur danse
Without pride or excess, but with greatness of soul, swinging life, super political groove, moving is cool, religious harmony, Tiki, tiki bing, bing né bèn don, super diplomatic beat, political harmony, super religious groove, and super beat - all coming together in the dance of life.
Contributed by Sarah T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Loc Nguyen
on Laidu
What is the translation for the lyrics