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.
Nazara
Tiken Jah Fakoly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Toubaboulou mané kognoumalon
Fôlômôlou tôrôni
An-nou bémalou gnanina eh allah !
Travail forcé ma fôhankô
Esclavage ma fôhankô
Guerre mondiale ma fôhankô
Travail forcé ma fôhankô
Olé toubaboulou mané kognoumalon
An-nouna hobékéla nanzaralou gné
Olé nanzaramasson kané kognoumalon eh allah !
{au Refrain}
Fôlômôlou tôrôni
An-nou bémalou gnanina eh allah !
Travail forcé ma fôhankô
Esclavage ma fôhankô
Guerre mondiale ma fôhankô
Travail forcé ma fôhankô
Wobékéni toubaboulégné
Olé toubaboulou mané kognoumalon
An-nouna hobékéla nanzaralou gné
Olé nanzaramasson kané kognoumalon eh allah ! {au Refrain}
Koni-né ka cacao séné
Kalé-bé-na gna cacao ho-san
Koni-né ka café séné
Kalé-bé-na gna café ho-san
{au Refrain}
Il parait que ça a été imposé
La mondialisation a été imposée
Mais imposée en faveur de qui ?
Et Africa est toujours dans la merde !
Non non !
{au Refrain}
Kaï mimiri travail forcé-man
Kaï mimiri guerre mondiale-man
Kaï mimiri esclavage-man
Kaï mahiné farafinoula
{au Refrain}
Eh allah !
The lyrics of Tiken Jah Fakoly's song Nazara are a social and political commentary on the struggles faced by African people due to colonialism, slavery, and globalization. The first verse of the song talks about the pain and suffering caused by forced labor, slavery, and World War, which have been imposed upon the African people. The use of the word "Nazara" refers to the colonial oppressors who imposed these systems of oppression on Africans. The chorus "Fôlômôlou tôrôni, An-nou bémalou gnanina eh Allah" means "Let's unite to fight against injustice, oh God."
In the second verse, Tiken Jah Fakoly talks about how African countries were forced to produce cocoa and coffee during colonial times, which still continues today, but at the expense of the African farmer. The lyrics suggest that globalization has only benefited the West, and Africa is still struggling due to the exploitation of its resources by Western powers. The song ends with the repetition of "Kaï mimiri travail forcé-man, Kaï mimiri guerre mondiale-man, Kaï mimiri esclavage-man, Kaï mahiné farafinoula," which means "We are tired of forced labor, World War, and slavery, and we want freedom."
Overall, Nazara is a powerful message of defiance against the oppression and injustice that has been inflicted upon African people for centuries. The lyrics call for unity and solidarity in the face of continued exploitation and demand justice for African people.
Line by Line Meaning
Nazara lémané kognoumalon
The colonizers came and imposed their way of life on us
Toubaboulou mané kognoumalon
The white people came and imposed their culture on us
Fôlômôlou tôrôni
We are being oppressed and exploited
An-nou bémalou gnanina eh allah !
Let us pray to Allah for guidance and strength
Travail forcé ma fôhankô
We are forced to work and we do not have any say in it
Esclavage ma fôhankô
We are slaves to the system and cannot free ourselves
Guerre mondiale ma fôhankô
We are caught in the crossfire of global conflicts
Wobékéni toubaboulégné
The white people have everything and we have nothing
Olé toubaboulou mané kognoumalon
We are being brainwashed by the white man's ideology
An-nouna hobékéla nanzaralou gné
We need to wake up and take control of our destiny
Olé nanzaramasson kané kognoumalon eh allah !
Let us reject their ways and follow our own path guided by Allah
{au Refrain}
Chorus: We are being oppressed and exploited
Koni-né ka cacao séné
They took our natural resources like cocoa
Kalé-bé-na gna cacao ho-san
And left us with nothing but poverty and suffering
Koni-né ka café séné
They also took our coffee
Kalé-bé-na gna café ho-san
And left us with nothing but despair and hopelessness
Il parait que ça a été imposé
It seems that globalization was forced upon us
La mondialisation a été imposée
And it benefits only a few at the expense of the many
Mais imposée en faveur de qui ?
But in whose favor was it imposed?
Et Africa est toujours dans la merde !
And Africa is still in a dire situation!
Kaï mimiri travail forcé-man
We are being forced to work like slaves
Kaï mimiri guerre mondiale-man
We are caught in the middle of global conflicts
Kaï mimiri esclavage-man
We are still slaves mentally and economically
Kaï mahiné farafinoula
And we need to rise up and fight for our freedom
{au Refrain}
Chorus: We are being oppressed and exploited
Eh allah !
Oh Allah, please help us!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, SONY ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING FRANCE
Written by: TIKEN JAH FAKOLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@NB-xq7fm
l'un des meilleurs sons du Koro Tiken mon artiste préféré au monde devant l'histoire. je suis agni, mais j'ai appris le dioula soutenu grâce à toi papa. Dieu te bénisse! Que ceux qui ont des oreilles pour comprendre tes chansons les comprennent!
Pour moi, tu es un prophète
@koffiolivierkouame7455
"Il paraît que ça a été imposé, la mondialisation a été imposée, mais imposée en faveur de qui ? Et l'Afrique est toujours dans la merde non non"
ce son m'inspire tellement !
@landrygaye9684
Une chanson qui me transperce, la mélodie est à couper le souffle....en 2022 je kiff graaav
@mamaafrica9866
Grand merci papa Tiken , j’aimerais mener se combat avec toi et même donner ma vie s’il le faut car trop de noir souffre et sont encore dans l’ignorance ... ils ne connaissaient pas leurs vrai histoire ... unissons nous où nous périrons 😭
@megamiam2758
Alors faisons en sorte d'éveiller les autres mon cher frère.
@sitadeho7836
@@megamiam2758 b
@daoudaouattara7248
Odienné, juillet 2021, le fils du terroir... Tiken , fierté du Denguélé, nord-ouest, Côte d'Ivoire 🙏
@Rashyaaykptlwby
Vive l'afrique!!!!🤠🥳✊️✊️la kanaky nouvelle calédonie est avec vous!!!!😁🇳🇨 neg marron fiére de l'étre !!!!😎
@saikoubarry9092
À chaque fois que j'écoute ce titre j'ai la chair de poule bravo Mr facoly
@abdoulmatinediallo1600
2019 qui est là ????