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.

Y'en a marre ft. Yaniss Odua
Tiken Jah Fakoly Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

On en a marre
L'Afrique en a marre marre marre
On en a marre
Le peuple en a marre marre marre

Des journalistes assassinés
Parce que des présidents assassins
Des généraux aux commandes

Des populations opprimées
Des aides aux pays détournées
Des populations affamées
Les fonds du pays dilapidées
Les droits de l'homme ignorés

On en a marre
L'Afrique en a marre marre marre
On en a marre
Le peuple en a marre marre marre

Après l'abolition de l'esclavage
Ils ont créé la colonisation
Lorsque l'on a trouvé la solution
Ils ont créé la coopération
Comme on dénonce cette situation
Ils ont créé la mondialisation
Et sans expliquer la mondialisation
C'est Babylone qui nous exploite

On en a marre
L'Afrique en a marre marre marre
On en a marre
Le peuple en a marre marre marre

(Yaniss Odua)
Faut qu'on arrete de cautionner
Ca, la vie de nos frères ne compte pas pour cette bande de vanpayas
Stoppons les guerres gardons la foi
Faya sur tous les chefs d'Etat qui nous envoient tuer nos brothers
Ils ne nous respectent pas c'est la même chose pour leurs lois
Ils ne regardent même pas quand le peuple réclame ses droits
Ils ne partagent surtout pas l'argent c'est pas qu'y en a pas
Ils ne font rien pour nos sisters qui se vendent pour vivre dans ce monde-là

On en a marre
L'Afrique en a marre marre marre
On en a marre
Le peuple en a marre marre marre

Des présidents assassins
On veut plus
Des généraux aux commandes
On n'en veut plus
Des enfants militaires
On veut plus
Des orphelins de guerre
On n'en veut plus

On en a marre
L'Afrique en a marre marre marre
On en a marre
Le peuple en a marre marre marre

L'Afrique en a marre
De toutes ces machinations
Mon peuple en a marre
De toutes ces manipulations
L'Afrique en a marre
De toutes ces exploitations
Mon peuple en a marre

De toute cette oppression
L'Afrique en a marre

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Tiken Jah Fakoly's song "Y'En A Marre" express a deep frustration and weariness towards the state of Africa and its people. The repetition of "On en a marre" (which translates to "We're fed up") emphasizes the level of exhaustion that the people of Africa are feeling towards the various forms of oppression that they are experiencing. The song touches on several themes, including corrupt governments and leaders who murder journalists and oppress their own people, the theft of foreign aid, the exploitation of the continent's resources by foreign entities, and the ways in which Africa has been historically oppressed, whether through colonialism, neocolonialism, or globalization.

The song also looks at the different systems that have been put in place to maintain these oppressions. Lyrics such as, "Après l'abolition de l'esclavage, ils ont créé la colonisation / Lorsque l'on a trouvé la solution, ils ont créé la coopération / Comme on dénonce cette situation, ils ont créé la mondialisation / Et sans expliquer la mondialisation, c'est Babylone qui nous exploite" (After the abolition of slavery, they created colonization / When we found the solution, they created cooperation / As we denounce this situation, they created globalization / And without explaining globalization, it's Babylon who exploits us) highlight how those in power have consistently found ways to maintain an imbalance of power in their favor.

Ultimately, the song calls for change, with lyrics like "Des présidents assassins / On veut plus" (We don't want any more murderous presidents) and "L'Afrique en a marre / De toutes ces exploitations / Mon peuple en a marre / De toute cette oppression" (Africa is fed up / With all these exploitations / My people are fed up / With all this oppression), emphasizing the need for both leaders and regular citizens to work together towards creating a more equitable society.

Line by Line Meaning

On en a marre
We are tired and fed up

L'Afrique en a marre marre marre
Africa is tired and fed up

Le peuple en a marre marre marre
The people are tired and fed up

Des journalistes assassinés
Journalists are being killed

Parce que des présidents assassins
Because of assassinating presidents

Des généraux aux commandes
Generals in power

Des populations opprimées
Oppressed populations

Des aides aux pays détournées
Aid money being misused

Des populations affamées
Hungry populations

Les fonds du pays dilapidées
National funds being wasted

Les droits de l'homme ignorés
Human rights being ignored

Après l'abolition de l'esclavage
After the abolition of slavery

Ils ont créé la colonisation
They created colonization

Lorsque l'on a trouvé la solution
When we found the solution

Ils ont créé la coopération
They created cooperation

Comme on dénonce cette situation
As we denounce this situation

Ils ont créé la mondialisation
They created globalization

Et sans expliquer la mondialisation
And without explaining globalization

C'est Babylone qui nous exploite
Babylon is exploiting us

Faut qu'on arrete de cautionner
We need to stop endorsing

Ca, la vie de nos frères ne compte pas pour cette bande de vanpayas
The lives of our brothers don't matter to this group of bandits

Stoppons les guerres gardons la foi
Let's stop the wars and keep our faith

Faya sur tous les chefs d'Etat qui nous envoient tuer nos brothers
Fire on all the heads of state who send us to kill our brothers

Ils ne nous respectent pas c'est la même chose pour leurs lois
They don't respect us, and the same goes for their laws

Ils ne regardent même pas quand le peuple réclame ses droits
They don't even look when the people demand their rights

Ils ne partagent surtout pas l'argent c'est pas qu'y en a pas
They don't share the money, not because there isn't any

Ils ne font rien pour nos sisters qui se vendent pour vivre dans ce monde-là
They do nothing for our sisters who sell themselves to survive in this world

Des présidents assassins
Assassinating presidents

On veut plus
We don't want it anymore

Des généraux aux commandes
Generals in power

On n'en veut plus
We don't want them anymore

Des enfants militaires
Child soldiers

On veut plus
We don't want them anymore

Des orphelins de guerre
War orphans

On n'en veut plus
We don't want them anymore

De toutes ces machinations
From all these schemes

De toutes ces manipulations
From all these manipulations

De toutes ces exploitations
From all these exploitations

De toute cette oppression
From all this oppression