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.
Plus rien ne m'étonne
Tiken Jah Fakoly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Si tu me laisses la Tchétchénie,
Moi je te laisse l'Arménie
Si tu me laisses l'Afghanistan
Moi je te laisse le Pakistan
Si tu ne quittes pas Haïti,
Moi je t'embarque pour Bangui
Moi je t'arrange le Kurdistan
Ils ont partagé le monde, plus rien ne m'étonne
Si tu me laisses l'uranium
Moi je te laisse l'aluminium
Si tu me laisses tes gisements,
Moi je t'aide à chasser les Talibans
Si tu me donnes beaucoup de blé,
Moi je fais la guerre à tes côtés
Si tu me laisses extraire ton or,
Moi je t'aide à mettre le Général dehors
Ils ont partagé le monde, plus rien ne m'étonne
Ils ont partagé Africa sans nous consulter,
Ils s'étonnent que nous soyons désunis !
Une partie de l'empire Mandingue,
Se trouva chez les Wolofs,
Une partie de l'empire Mossi
Se trouva dans le Ghana,
Une partie de l'empire Soussou
Se trouva dans l'empire Mandingue,
Une partie de l'empire Mandingue
Se trouva chez les Mossis
Ils ont partagé Africa sans nous consulter,
Sans nous demander, sans nous aviser !
Ils ont partagé le monde, plus rien ne m'étonne
Tiken Jah Fakoly's song "Plus rien ne m'étonne" is a political commentary on the historical and ongoing exploitation of Africa and other countries by colonial powers and global superpowers. The lyrics of the song express the attitude that the division and distribution of resources, lands, and peoples have become normalized and expected. This is demonstrated by the repeated chorus of "Ils ont partagé le monde, plus rien ne m'étonne" which translates to "They have divided the world, nothing surprises me anymore". The song brings attention to the injustices and inequalities faced by countries that have been subjected to imperialism and neo-colonialism.
The first verse of the song outlines a negotiation between two parties over the control of various territories. By offering to exchange control of certain areas, it becomes evident that those in power are not concerned with the well-being or sovereignty of these places, but rather with gaining control of important resources. This is highlighted in the lines "Si tu me donnes beaucoup de blé, moi je fais la guerre à tes côtés" which translates to "If you give me a lot of money, I will go to war by your side". The second verse also highlights the exploitation of natural resources such as uranium and gold by superpowers, in exchange for helping to remove leaders or insurgent groups.
The bridge and final verse of the song focuses on the impact that the division of Africa has had on the continent. It sheds light on how the borders created by colonizers have divided ethnic groups and caused tensions between neighboring countries. The lyrics criticize the colonizers for their lack of regard for consultation and the consequences of their actions, resulting in a lack of unity and a struggling continent.
Line by Line Meaning
Ils ont partagé le monde, plus rien ne m'étonne
The world has been divided by those in power and their actions no longer surprise me
Si tu me laisses la Tchétchénie,
Moi je te laisse l'Arménie
Si tu me laisses l'Afghanistan
Moi je te laisse le Pakistan
Si tu ne quittes pas Haïti,
Moi je t'embarque pour Bangui
Si tu m'aides à bombarder l'Irak,
Moi je t'arrange le Kurdistan
If you let me have one country, I'll let you have another country. If you don't leave one country, I'll take you to another country. If you help me attack one country, I'll help you with another country.
Si tu me laisses l'uranium
Moi je te laisse l'aluminium
Si tu me laisses tes gisements,
Moi je t'aide à chasser les Talibans
Si tu me donnes beaucoup de blé,
Moi je fais la guerre à tes côtés
Si tu me laisses extraire ton or,
Moi je t'aide à mettre le Général dehors
If you let me have access to valuable resources, I'll help you with your problems. If you give me money, I'll be your ally in war. If you let me extract your resources, I'll help you with political issues.
Ils ont partagé Africa sans nous consulter,
Ils s'étonnent que nous soyons désunis !
Une partie de l'empire Mandingue,
Se trouva chez les Wolofs,
Une partie de l'empire Mossi
Se trouva dans le Ghana,
Une partie de l'empire Soussou
Se trouva dans l'empire Mandingue,
Une partie de l'empire Mandingue
Se trouva chez les Mossis
Ils ont partagé Africa sans nous consulter,
Sans nous demander, sans nous aviser !
Africa was divided without the input or consent of its people, leading to disunity. The empire of Mandingue was split with some of its people being in Wolofs, and some of the empire of Mossi being in Ghana. The empire of Soussou was split with some of its people being in Mandingue, and some of the empire of Mandingue being in Mossis.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, SONY ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING FRANCE
Written by: MOUSSA DOUMBIA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@johnkennedyekene9128
I’m Nigerian, je parle français et je sens ses paroles au fond de moi. I can tell you for free, this guy is the BEST African musician alive!!!. Of course burna boy and davido are mainstream, rich and westernized… but this guy is way above them, he’s singing to our collective conscience, he’s singing to our continent, he’s giving us lectures about Africa!!!. His motive is NOT Grammy or money, he wants Africans to wake the fuck up!!!.
@ayyodele
I have been listening to Tiken Jah Fakoly for like 10years, most true conscious root reggae musicians are credible spiritual people with integrity to their music, one cannot compare them to those names you mentioned.
@jackyhoarau8669
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
@user-cb4nq7wf4f
Translate to English this song.
@sarahloeppky8869
Plus rien ne m'étonne que partager le monde avec l'artiste qui a écrit ces paroles profondes merci bien mon frère!
Je suis canadienne, anglophone, enseignante de français et je vais partager cette chanson avec mes étudiants de français demain. MERCI TIKEN d'avoir écrite telle belle chanson qui ouvre la discussion des éffets de la colonialisme dans l'Afrique pour nous si loin. Je veux que mes étudiants voient ton ésprit ton espoir et qu'ils soient éduqués sur l'Afrique. Je vous souhaite un bon mois de l'histoire des Noirs à toutes et tous!
@sonhiboumbackeniang2115
En voilà un vrai artiste qui n’a pas besoin des filles nue pour faire son Beuze et raconter la réalité un musique bien réalisé ne meurt jamais extrait d’un philosophe 👍🏾if you agree
@florencezagaroli2252
🌹🙏
@florencezagaroli2252
Bravo
@spenceraron6204
Kaya de l'ile Maurice à ecoutè il est parti trop tôt, tômber sous les coup .....
@spenceraron6204
Ecouter Ras couyon.