Tiken Jah was born into a family of griots and christened Doumbia Moussa Fakoly on June 23, 1968 in Odienne, north-western Côte d'Ivoire. He discovered reggae at an early age, assembling his first group, Djelys, in 1987. He became well-known at a regional level, but would soon ascend to national recognition.
Concerned by the social and political evolution of his country, it was not long before Tiken Jah was writing incisive works on the political environment in Côte d'Ivoire. One such work was on the death of Felix Houphouet-Boigny in 1993, which resulted in a surge of popularity amongst the nation's youth. In 1998, Fakoly made his first international appearance in Paris.
Tiken Jah Fakoly plays music "to wake up the consciences". His music speaks about many injustices done to the people of his country, and those over Africa. As such, African listeners feel a deep affinity with his lyrics as Fakoly speaks for people whom are under oppression. This connection has helped make Tiken Jah Fakoly a much-listened artist throughout both Europe and Africa.
Discography
1. 1993: Les Djelys (cassette only - discontinued)
2. 1994: Missiri (cassette only - discontinued)
3. 1996: Mangercratie
4. 1999: Cours d'histoire
5. 2000: Le Cameleon (exclusive to West Africa)
6. 2002: Françafrique (a term coined by Francois Xavier-Verschave)
7. 2004: Coup de gueule
8. 2005: Africa wants to be free, compilation to support fr:Survie (association)
NOTE: Mangercratie was released in France in 1999 and in Canada in 2000. Cours d'histoire was released in France in 2000 and in Canada in 2001. The first two albums were only released in Côte d'Ivoire.
Outside Projects
Tiken Jah Fakoly has recorded various tracks with other artists. He is featured on Steel Pulse: African Holocaust, on Rike: Airt Frais, on Bernard Laviliers: Carnet De Bord, on Amadou & Marima: Dimanche A Bamaco, on Dub Incorporation: Life, and on Tata Pound: Cikan. He also appears on the compilation African Consiences with Mebgane N'Dour. He will be featured in the upcoming movie Les Oiseaux Du Ciel, directed by Eliane De Latour.
Awards:
2003: Victoires de la Musique 2003, in the category of Reggae Album/Ragga/World with the album Françafrique.
Africa Taferka
Tiken Jah Fakoly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
[Tiken Jah Fakoly]
XXX
Africa, Africa
[Idir]
(Passage en kabyle)
[Refrain]
[Couplet 1 : Idir]
(Passage en kabyle)
[Refrain]
Africa, Africa
[Tiken Jah Fakoly]
XXX
Africa, Africa
[Idir]
(Passage en kabyle)
[Couplet 2 : Tiken Jah Fakoly]
XXX
[Refrain]
Africa, Africa
[Tiken Jah Fakoly]
XXX
Africa, Africa
[Idir]
(Passage en kabyle)
[Couplet 2 : Tiken Jah Fakoly]
Jeunes africains réveillez-vous !
Africains, il est temps de se réveiller
Africa, unisson-nous, réveillez-vous !
Unissons-nous, il est temps de se réveiller
Africa
[Refrain]
Africa, Africa
[Tiken Jah Fakoly]
XXX
Africa, Africa
[Idir]
(Passage en kabyle)
The lyrics to Tiken Jah Fakoly's song Africa Taferka is a powerful call to action for young Africans to wake up and unite. The song opens with the repeated chant of "Africa, Africa" by both Tiken Jah Fakoly and Idir. The use of repetition emphasizes the strong connection between the singers and their roots in Africa. Idir then goes on to sing a verse in Kabyle, a Berber language spoken in Algeria.
The refrain "Africa, Africa" is then repeated once more before Tiken Jah Fakoly takes the lead with a verse about the need for Africans to wake up and unite. He sings in French about the urgency for young Africans to come together and work towards a brighter future for the continent. Tiken Jah Fakoly's lyrics acknowledge the struggles that Africa has faced in the past, but also inspires hope for a better future.
Overall, Tiken Jah Fakoly's and Idir's collaboration in Africa Taferka is a powerful message for young Africans to come together and take action towards building a better future for their continent.
Line by Line Meaning
Africa, Africa
Repeatedly chanting Africa to evoke a sense of pride and unity towards the continent.
XXX
Lyrics not provided, skipping this line.
(Passage en kabyle)
Lyrics in Kabyle language, skipping translation for non-Kabyle speakers.
[Refrain]
Refers to the chorus section of the song that repeats throughout the song.
[Couplet 1 : Idir]
Refers to the verse section of the song sung by Idir.
[Couplet 2 : Tiken Jah Fakoly]
Refers to the verse section of the song sung by Tiken Jah Fakoly.
Jeunes africains réveillez-vous !
Young Africans, wake up and take action to improve the continent.
Africains, il est temps de se réveiller
Africans, it's time to wake up from current problems and take action to create a better future.
Africa, unisson-nous, réveillez-vous !
Let's unite together as Africans and take collective action to create a better future for the continent.
Unissons-nous, il est temps de se réveiller
Let's unite together and take action to create a better continent.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING, SONY ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING FRANCE, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: FELIPE SALDIVIA, ALEXANDRE VARELA DA VEIGA, HAMID CHERIET EL, MOUSSA DOUMBIA, EL HAMID CHERIET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Laoubi Slimane
Éternel Idir dimension internationale un homme de paix et d'amour Sgunfu di talwit
Laoubi Slimane
Tamazγa et toute l'Afrique est fière de Vous grand Idir
Awal lahlou
👑👑👑👑
Awal lahlou
💪💪💪
Awal lahlou
💝💝💝💝
Carpe Diem
Merci Khali merci idir Africa .....Africa yakko vive la kabylie
Mohamed Maidyn
Bonjour, je poste un commentaire juste pour dire que ça me désole qu' il n'y est pas de commentaire pour un morceau comme celui ci... :-). Fier d être le premier huhu2
Awal lahlou
♓♓♓
Awal lahlou
🔰🔰🔰🔰
Awal lahlou
💝💝💝💝