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.

Non à L'Excision
Tiken Jah Fakoly Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Elles sont venues les femmes
Avec un grand couteau
Elle a bien cru qu'elle allait
Y laisser sa peau

Et puis ce matin
Il a fallu qu'elles entrent
Pour couper une fleur

Cachée sous son ventre

Non à l'excision ! Non à l'excision !
Ne les touchez plus elles ont assez souffert

Un homme est sur son ventre
Son corps ne répond même pas
Elle voulait bien qu'il entre
Mais elle ne ne le sent même pas

Il est juste là, juste là
Pour semer sa graine
Mais ce champ qu'il laboure
Est une bien triste plaine

Non à l'excision ! Non à l'excision !
Ne les touchez plus elles ont assez souffert

Non à l'excision ! Non à l'excision !
Ne les touchez plus elles ont assez souffert

On lui a coupé la peau
Peut-être qu'ils la vendent
Comme un morceau de viande
Un si petit morceau

On lui a coupé la peau
Juste un bout de son corps
Ils ont pris dans son île
Le plus beau des trésors

Non à l'excision ! Non à l'excision !
Ne les touchez plus elles ont assez souffert

Non à l'excision ! Non à l'excision !
Ne les touchez plus elles ont assez souffert

Overall Meaning

The song "Non à L'Excision" by Tiken Jah Fakoly raises awareness to the harmful practice of female genital mutilation. The first verse describes how women with a big knife have entered and the woman feared for her life, believing that she would lose her skin. The second verse is about a man who is unable to pleasure his partner because of the effects of the practice. The third verse describes how a part of a woman's body was cut off and may even be sold like a piece of meat. The chorus repeatedly emphasizes the need to stop this harmful practice and that the women have suffered enough.

Line by Line Meaning

Elles sont venues les femmes
Women have come

Avec un grand couteau
With a big knife

Elle a bien cru qu'elle allait
She really thought she was going to

Y laisser sa peau
Leave her skin there

Et puis ce matin
And then this morning

Il a fallu qu'elles entrent
They had to come in

Pour couper une fleur
To cut a flower

Cachée sous son ventre
Hidden under her belly

Non à l'excision ! Non à l'excision !
No to female genital mutilation! No to female genital mutilation!

Ne les touchez plus elles ont assez souffert
Don't touch them anymore, they have suffered enough

Un homme est sur son ventre
A man is on her belly

Son corps ne répond même pas
Her body doesn’t even respond

Elle voulait bien qu'il entre
She wanted him to enter

Mais elle ne le sent même pas
But she doesn't even feel him

Il est juste là, juste là
He's just there, right there

Pour semer sa graine
To sow his seed

Mais ce champ qu'il laboure
But this field he's plowing

Est une bien triste plaine
Is a very sad plain

On lui a coupé la peau
They cut her skin

Peut-être qu'ils la vendent
Maybe they sell it

Comme un morceau de viande
Like a piece of meat

Un si petit morceau
Such a small piece

Juste un bout de son corps
Just a part of her body

Ils ont pris dans son île
They took from her island

Le plus beau des trésors
The most beautiful treasure

Lyrics © SONY ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, LALE ET KINO PRODUCTION, DELABEL EDITIONS
Written by: MAGYD CHERFI, MOUSSA DOUMBIA, GEOFFREY ORYEMA, JEAN-LUC REMY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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