Tiken Jah Fakoly (1968) is a reggae singer from Odienné, Côte d’Ivoire (a.k… Read Full Bio ↴Tiken Jah Fakoly (1968) is a reggae singer from Odienné, Côte d’Ivoire (a.k.a Ivory Coast).

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.

Fou
Tiken Jah Fakoly Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Djaa Africains houka indépendance kêra fouyé na
A kêra fouyé na na na
A kêra fouyé na

Ko nanyé indépendance sôrô kambêkê finyé
Indépendance o sôrôla n'ko'ammakê foyi yé
An gnan den houbila toubabou kalan kê
Olou nana

Olouyé sognînlila

Djaa Africains houka indépendance kêra fouyé na
A kêra fouyé na na na
A kêra fouyé na

Ko nagué indépendance ta kambêkê fînyé
Indépendance o dira'ama n'kammakê foyi yé
An gnan den hou bila l'écolila
N'ko lu kata toubaboulou ta kalan
Olou nana
Olouyé sogninlila

Djaa Africains houka indépendance kêra fouyé na
A kêra fouyé na na na
A kêra fouyé na

An den hou kêra farafîna Président yé
Sandji binaui kannou mabô nôgôlaba
Toubabou hou tounbêyé toumamina n'kan tounbê kôgôla
An den hou kêra Président yé n'kammabô
Nôgôlaaa

Djaa Africains houka indépendance kêra fouyé na

A kêra fouyé na na na
A kêra fouyé na

Overall Meaning

The song "Fou" by Tiken Jah Fakoly reflects on the struggle and aftermath of Africa's fight for independence from colonial powers. The opening lines of the song, "Djaa Africains houka indépendance kêra fouyé na" which translates to "African leaders fought for independence, and now they are lost," point towards the lack of direction and leadership after achieving independence. The repetition of "a kêra fouyé na" accentuates the feeling of being lost without direction. The next lines, "Ko nanyé indépendance sôrô kambêkê finyé," highlight how independence was taken away through indirect manipulation by former colonial powers.

The song also touches on the issue of education, how it was used as a tool of colonialism and how the education system in Africa has failed to meet the needs of the people. "An gnan den houbila toubabou kalan kê" means "We were taught by the white man's knowledge," and "an gnan den houbila l'écolila" translates to "We were taught in their schools." This highlights how the education system was used to propagate the ideologies of colonialism and how the African curriculum does not reflect the needs of its people.

In the final verse of the song, Tiken Jah Fakoly speaks about corrupt African leaders who enrich themselves at the expense of their people. This theme is evident in the line, "An den hou kêra farafîna Président yé, Sandji binaui kannou mabô nôgôlaba." This translates to "When an African becomes the President, they fill their pockets with stolen money."

Overall, "Fou" is a powerful song that touches on issues that are still prevalent in Africa today. It reflects on the complexity of the struggle for independence and how it did not necessarily lead to the liberation of Africans.

Line by Line Meaning

Djaa Africains houka indépendance kêra fouyé na
Hey Africans, do you remember how we fought for our independence?

A kêra fouyé na na na
We fought tirelessly until we achieved our goal of independence.

A kêra fouyé na
We never gave up, we kept pushing until we succeeded.

Ko nanyé indépendance sôrô kambêkê finyé
But now, our independence is being threatened by internal and external forces.

Indépendance o sôrôla n'ko'ammakê foyi yé
Our sovereignty is being compromised, and we must not let that happen.

An gnan den houbila toubabou kalan kê
We will not be intimidated by foreign powers trying to control us.

Olou nana
We will stand in unity and fight for our rights.

Olouyé sognînlila
We will not rest until we have regained our full independence and control over our resources.

Ko nagué indépendance ta kambêkê fînyé
We must resist any attempt to take away our hard-won independence.

Indépendance o dira'ama n'kammakê foyi yé
Our independence must be protected at all costs.

An gnan den hou bila l'écolila
We will not allow our education system to be controlled by outside forces.

N'ko lu kata toubaboulou ta kalan
We will not take orders from foreign powers who do not have our best interests at heart.

An den hou kêra farafîna Président yé
We must elect leaders who will prioritize the interests of our people and our nation.

Sandji binaui kannou mabô nôgôlaba
We need leaders who will fight against corruption and put an end to it.

Toubabou hou tounbêyé toumamina n'kan tounbê kôgôla
Foreign powers and their influence must be removed from our government and our politics.

An den hou kêra Président yé n'kammabô
We need a president who will put the interests of our people first.

Nôgôlaaa
And in doing so, we will strengthen our independence and our nation.

Lyrics © SONY ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DIDIER BOLAY, JEAN-BAPTISTE DOBIECKI, MOUSSA DOUMBIA, ZAKARIA MAMBOUE, MICHEL PINHEIRO, JEAN LUC REMY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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