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.
Ayebada
Tiken Jah Fakoly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Non ne tesson oma ayebada
N'tésson oma
Ne tésson oma ayebada
N'tésson oma
Ka n'né di tchê dôma tchê mi mandi gnè
Ko n'né yé kéofê
Ko n'né yé dji ta kadi oma
Ko n'né yé gbâ kê kadi oma
Ko n'né yê dji ta kadi oma ahan
Ko n'né yé ba ka djè ni oyé
N'ko ma'assi gnangban ye ho
Non non non non n'né tena son oma
Non ne tésson oma ayebada
N'tésson oma
Ne tésson oma ayebada
N'tésson oma
Ka n'né di tchê dôma tchê mi mandi gnè
Ko n'né yé kèokô
Ko n'né ni oyessi sokélé konon kagné kouma kagné baroké
Ko n'né yé dji ta kadi oma
Ko n'né yé gbâ kê kadi oma
Ko n'né yê dji ta kadi oma ahan
Ko n'né yé ba ka dje ni oyé
N'ko ma'assi gnangban ye ho
Non non non non n'né tena son oma
Non ne tésson oma ayebada
N'tésson oma
Ne tésson oma ayebada
N'tésson oma
Ka mousso dô tasso kana ho di n'néma
Ko n'né yé affouro
N'ne ma mousso ni lon
N'ko néma mousso mi boyôrôlon
N'né ma mousso ni djogolon
N'ko n'né ma mousso ni sougoulon
N'ko ma'assi gnagbanyé ho
Non non non non n'né tena son oma
Non ne tesson oma ayebada
N'tésson oma
Ne tésson oma ayebada
N'tésson oma
Allah yan n'kissi oma ayebada
Allah yan tanga oma ayebada
The song Ayebada by Tiken Jah FAKOLY is a commentary on the state of African society and the struggle of the African people. The lyrics are in the West African language of Dioula, with some French words mixed in. The repetition of the phrase "Non non non non n'né tena son oma" at the beginning of each verse is a call to attention, urging listeners to open their ears and really hear what is being said.
The lyrics speak of the struggles faced by individuals in African society. The lines "Ko n'né ni oyessi sokélé konon kagné kouma kagné baroké" describe the poverty and lack of economic opportunity that many people face. The lines "N'ne ma mousso ni lon/N'ko néma mousso mi boyôrôlon" speak of the difficulties faced by women, who are often marginalized and denied equal status in society.
The song also touches on spirituality, with the lines "Allah yan n'kissi oma ayebada/Allah yan tanga oma ayebada" invoking the name of Allah as a source of hope and guidance. Overall, the song is a powerful commentary on the challenges faced by the African people, and a call to action to address these issues and work towards a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Non non non non n'né tena son oma
No no no, this is not our destiny
Non ne tesson oma ayebada
We must not stay in this state
N'tésson oma
We have to act
Ne tésson oma ayebada
We have to take action to change our condition
N'tésson oma
We have to act
Ka n'né di tchê dôma tchê mi mandi gnè
When we are born, we do not choose our families
Ko n'né yé kéofê
We are just kids
Ko n'né ni oyéssi sokélé konon kagné kouma kagné baroké
We do not understand anything that is happening around us
Ko n'né yé dji ta kadi oma
But as we grow up
Ko n'né yé gbâ kê kadi oma
And we see the difficulties of life
Ko n'né yê dji ta kadi oma ahan
We must stand up for ourselves and our futures
Ko n'né yé ba ka djè ni oyé
We must learn from our mistakes
N'ko ma'assi gnangban ye ho
And move forward with determination
Ka mousso dô tasso kana ho di n'néma
When a woman gives birth
Ko n'né yé affouro
We are all equal
N'ne ma mousso ni lon
No woman is alone
N'ko néma mousso mi boyôrôlon
All women deserve respect
N'né ma mousso ni djogolon
All women are strong, smart and capable
N'ko n'né ma mousso ni sougoulon
All women have the right to work
N'ko ma'assi gnagbanyé ho
Let us all move forward together
Allah yan n'kissi oma ayebada
With the help of God
Allah yan tanga oma ayebada
We will change our destiny
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, SONY ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING FRANCE
Written by: Dave KINNER, TIKEN JAH FAKOLY, David JNO BAPTISTE, VI AVELINO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Afandi Herba
Je suis d'accord pour ça mon papa💯
Tape Celestin
Vraiment le mariage forcé dérange beaucoup, mais avant sa permettait de garder la tradition intacte
Vanessa Amani
Traduction svp? Je kiff cette chanson sans y comprendre grand-chose
djouni ange
Sa parle de mariage forcé.
Refrain :je ne peux pas accepter ça je ne peux jamais accepter ça.
Me forcer à me mettre en couple (me marier) avec quelqu'un je ne peux pas accepter ça.
Préparer pour donner un quelqu'un que j'aime pas,
Lui donner à boir,
Causer avec lui... Me forcer à faire tout ça je ne peux pas accepter
Vanessa Amani
@djouni ange merci
Raissa Soumahoro Djeneba
🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
mohamed keita
Qui écoute sa encore en 2021 ❤🤞
ABDOULAYE SOW
Sui là 🤩🤩😏🥳
YOVIN Officials
Meme en 2022 je l’écoute toujours🥺🌏♥️
Aboubacar Traore
Ne te n’a son oman ayebada