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.
Ecologie
Tiken Jah Fakoly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ayah ayah ayah ayah ayah ayah
J′ai consulté la mer savoir pourquoi elle rejetait tout
Elle m'a dit rien ne m′appartient cela vient de chez vous
J'ai consulté les rivières savoir pourquoi cette facte couleur
Elles m'ont dirent pareil sont sables de leur triste malheur
Mais quelle n'étaient pour rien
On vit au jour le jour sans se soucier du lendemain
Je veux laissé quelques choses après moi
On construit la grande part sans savoir où l′on va
Nan ma'n Dounia bognanh
An benan an déhou macossah
An gnéh dounian bognan
An yéh siguiyôrô bognanh
Nan ma′n siguiyôrô bognanh
An benan an déhou macossah
J'ai consulté le désert
Pour savoir ce qu′il en pensait
J'ai peur pour la nature pourriez-vous dès bonnes nouvelles
J'ai consulté les étoiles
Savoir si on sait pas tromper
On a peur pour la nature pourriez-vous des bonnes nouvelles
Elles m′ont dirent que se n′était pas le bon chemin
Mais qu'elle n′étaient pour rien
On vit au jour le jour sans se soucier du lendemain
Je veux laissé quelques choses après moi
On construit la grande part sans savoir où l'on va
Nan ma′n Dounia bognanh
An benan an déhou macossah
An yéh Dounia bognanh
An yéh siguiyôrô bognanh
Nan ma'n siguiyôrô bognanh
An benan an déhou macossah
An yéh Dounia bognanh
An yéh siguiyôrô bognanh
An ma′n siguiyôrô bognanh
An benan an déhou macossah
An yéh Dounia bognanh
An yéh siguiyôrô bognan
Nan ma'n siguiyôrô bognanh
An benan an déhou macossah
The lyrics to Tiken Jah Fakoly's song Ecologie reflect on the destruction of the earth and the impact of human behavior on the environment. The song's opening lines express the artist's desire to find the reason why the ocean and rivers are rejecting everything. The ocean's response is that nothing belongs to it; it all comes from humans. The rivers tell him that they are sad about their discolored waters, a result of human neglect and mistreatment of nature.
Tiken Jah Fakoly then reveals his fear for the future of nature, people's disregard for the environment, and their tendency to live in the present without any concern for the future. The artist wants to leave something behind for future generations and create a better world before it is too late. He concludes by calling on people to start doing better, to take a different path, and to be less selfish while working towards a sustainable planet.
Overall, Tiken Jah Fakoly's song Ecologie provides a message of hope and a call to action for people to take responsibility for the environment before it is too late.
Line by Line Meaning
J′ai consulté la mer savoir pourquoi elle rejetait tout
I consulted the sea to know why it rejects everything, and it told me that nothing belongs to it; it all comes from you humans.
Elle m'a dit rien ne m′appartient cela vient de chez vous
It told me that nothing belongs to it; it all comes from you humans.
J'ai consulté les rivières savoir pourquoi cette facte couleur
I consulted the rivers to know why they have a sad color, and they told me it's because of the sand and debris caused by human activities.
Elles m'ont dirent pareil sont sables de leur triste malheur
They told me that the sad color is because of the sand and debris caused by human activities.
Elles m′ont dirent que ce n′était pas le bon chemin
They told me that we're not on the right path.
Mais quelle n'étaient pour rien
But they're not to blame for it.
On vit au jour le jour sans se soucier du lendemain
We live day by day without thinking about tomorrow.
Je veux laissé quelques choses après moi
I want to leave something behind me.
On construit la grande part sans savoir où l′on va
We're building a big part of something without knowing where it will lead us.
J'ai consulté le désert pour savoir ce qu′il en pensait
I consulted the desert to know what it thinks about the situation.
J'ai peur pour la nature pourriez-vous dès bonnes nouvelles
I'm afraid for nature and I'm asking for good news.
J'ai consulté les étoiles savoir si on sait pas tromper
I consulted the stars to know if we're not fooling ourselves.
Elles m′ont dirent que se n′était pas le bon chemin
They told me that we're not on the right path.
Mais qu'elle n′étaient pour rien
But they're not to blame for it.
Nan ma′n Dounia bognanh
Oh, my mother earth.
An benan an déhou macossah
We don't understand your sadness.
An gnéh dounian bognan
In these troubled times on earth.
An yéh siguiyôrô bognanh
Show us the right path, mother earth.
An yéh Dounia bognanh
Oh, mother earth.
An yéh siguiyôrô bognanh
Show us the right path, mother earth.
An ma′n siguiyôrô bognanh
I want to follow the right path, mother earth.
An yéh Dounia bognanh
Oh, mother earth.
An yéh siguiyôrô bognan
Show us the right path.
Nan ma'n siguiyôrô bognanh
Oh, my mother earth, show me the right path.
An benan an déhou macossah
We don't understand your sadness.
Writer(s): Dave Kynner, Kerredine Soltani, Tiken Jah Fakoly
Contributed by Thomas W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
David ngama
Tiken Jah Fakoly tu es le meilleur j'aime bien tes chansons... parceque je suis de Rasta farry...