Formed in 1982, in strikingly unusual circumstances for a musical ensemble, Tinariwen blend ancient musical traditions with radical contemporary politics. Despite severe natural and man-made hardships, young Kel Tamashek exiles continued performing the traditional music of their Tuareg forebears in the southern Sahara while simultaneously fighting against the government of Mali.
Forced to seek an alternative to starvation and repression in drought-stricken Mali, many of these young nomads hoped to attain a better life by striking up what proved to be an uneasy alliance with Libya. The hoped-for aid in their struggle with the Mali government failed to materialize, but in the meantime some of the rebels had evolved a form of music that kept alive the music of their forefathers while simultaneously communicating radical political messages. This music is known as tishoumaren, music of the ishumar (the unemployed). Usually performed by groups of 30 and more instrumentalists and singers, tishoumaren acknowledges contemporary western music, especially rock, as well as other music forms prevalent in the Middle East, while never losing touch with the original ancient form. In some instances, players not only adapt traditional forms but also substitute modern instruments for the traditional lutes, flutes and one-string violins. The electric guitar in particular has become popular, even though circumstances demand the availability of portable generators.
The name chosen by this band, Tinariwen, means empty places, thus maintaining a further link to the vast desert regions of the southern Sahara. The musicians include Said Ag Ayad, Alhassane Ag Touhami, Eyadou Ag Leche, Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, Abdallah Ag Lamida, Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni and Bassa Walet Abdoumou.
The music itself is spare and haunting, an aural reflection of those same open spaces. The lyrics of their songs, perhaps more accurately termed sung poetry, carry outspoken political thought that draws attention not only to repression in Mali, but also to the enforced exile of many and the continuing struggle for self-determination of the Tuareg nomads. Song structures are many and varied and include elemental call-and-response patterns as well as (to western ears) discordant notes that call to mind the blue notes favoured by western blues and jazz players overlaid upon a solid four-beat rhythmic foundation that is itself uncommon to the region although compatible with much western popular music.
Tinariwen's first recordings were to cassette, sales and even possession of which carried harsh penalties in Mali and Algeria. In the early 00s, availability of albums encouraged more widespread awareness of the music and its underlying political messages.
Tenere Taqqal
Tinariwen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dag aknassan elwan azadan dass timazagh
Awanan chankad adag ibass tidwan agdad iskak
Eherahagnat mazzagh war takenzart idam n aliyad
Ténéré Tàqqàl egargar wan fassar dag aknassan elwan azadan dass alamoz
Azaran wi assohatnen adjmadan inabdan
Ténéré Tàqqàl egargar wan fassar dag aknassan elwan azadan dass alamoz
Ammoun danag meddan tassiknass tayaté an nabrar
Tagla tisrawt fallanag istaqqat anmaghdar
Ténéré Tàqqàl egargar wan fassar dag aknassan elwan azadan dass alamoz
The lyrics of Tinariwen's Ténéré Tàqqàl express a deep longing for the homeland and the nomadic lifestyle of the Tuareg people. The title translates to "The Desert Has Become a Thousand-Year-old Woman," and the first two lines describe the vastness of the Sahara desert ("Ténéré") and its infinite wisdom ("Tàqqàl"). The next lines mention the hardship and suffering of the Tuareg people, who are "free men" ("azadan") but are oppressed and persecuted ("elwan").
The third and fourth stanzas mention the beauty of the Tuareg way of life, with its music and poetry ("idam n aliyad," "adjamadan inabdan"). The repetition of the first two lines in each stanza creates a meditative, almost hypnotic effect, reinforcing the idea of the desert as a timeless, mystical entity. The final two stanzas emphasize the resilience and strength of the Tuareg people in the face of adversity, invoking imagery of mountains ("an nabrar," "anmaghdar") and the power of music to inspire and uplift ("istaqqat").
Overall, the lyrics of Ténéré Tàqqàl convey a profound sense of longing and nostalgia for a way of life that is disappearing, and a deep appreciation for the beauty and wisdom of the desert.
Line by Line Meaning
Ténéré Tàqqàl egargar wan fassar
Ténéré, the desert, is vast and immense
Dag aknassan elwan azadan dass timazagh
Covered by stony planes and inhabited by free people
Awanan chankad adag ibass tidwan agdad iskak
The caravans travel northwards, silhouettes against the red sky
Eherahagnat mazzagh war takenzart idam n aliyad
Their tracks never end, like the writing of the hand of God
Awa azaman assohen dag idja amssastag
The seasons follow one another, yet never change the landscape
Azaran wi assohatnen adjmadan inabdan
With trees and animals, living their lives in harmony
Ammoun danag meddan tassiknass tayaté an nabrar
The water is scarce, women and men fetch it on the edge of exhaustion
Tagla tisrawt fallanag istaqqat anmaghdar
The spirit of the people is strong, despite the harshness of the wilderness
Ténéré Tàqqàl egargar wan fassar dag aknassan elwan azadan dass alamoz
Ténéré, the desert, is vast and immense, covered by stony planes and inhabited by free people, against the horizon, the mirage looms
Writer(s): Ibrahim Ag Alhabib
Contributed by Liliana D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Tooshido
Lyrics Translation :
What happened to the desert?
The desert has turned into a battlefield
Where do elephants fight
Under her feet she crushes the soft grass
High in the mountains, deer found refuge
Birds never return to their nests at night
And the camps were deserted
You can read the bitterness of living on the faces of innocent people
During this difficult time and distress in which solidarity was lost.
The strong impose their will and leave the weak behind
Many have died for suspicious goals
Joy has abandoned us
We have wasted our energy because of this duality.
@samnadim9913
END THE GENOCIDE JOE BIDEN AND RELEASE THE DOORS OF GAZA OPEN AIR PRISON WE SYRIAN AMERICANS EXIST AND DONT CONSENT YOU ACCEPT ISRAELI LOBBY AFTER SENDING OUR TAX DOLLARS TO ISRAEL YOU AND REPUBLICANS BOTH ACCEPT ISRAELI LOBBY AND OUR MEDIA, AND SEND OUR TAX DOLLARS TO ISRAEL BUT BOTH KEEP MEDICINE AND RENT EXPENSIVE BUT KEEP US DIVIDED TO GO BACK AND FORTH WITH YOU GUYS WITH CRAP ON OUR MEDIA LIKE BLUE LIVES VS BLACK LIVES OR ABORTION AND WATCH US DIVIDED AND LAUGH AT US BEHIND OUR BACKS, SEND OUR TROOPS OVER SEAS IGNORE THEM WHEN THEY COME BACK AND SEND OUR TAX DOLLARS TO ISRAEL WHILE MEDICINE AND RENT REMAINS HIGHER AND POINT AT REPUBLICANS AND IT REPEATS NEXT YEAR AND YOU BOTH KEEO SENDING OUR TAX DOLLARS TO ISRAEL AND LOBBY FROM ISRAEL.
OPEN A NOT FROM GOD 1913 SCOFIELD BIBLE IT REPLACED PALESTINE WITH ISRAEL ON THE MAP, STARTED IN 1913.
OPEN A 1905 BIBLE OR DOWNLOAD ONE PDF ONLINE, IT SHOWS PALESTINE ON THE MAP
YOU ARE ZIONISTS
Pray quran.com/2:286
@husnainanwaar1992
The Ténéré* has become
an upland of thorns
Where elephants
fight each other
Crushing tender grass
under foot.
The gazelles have found refuge
high in the mountains
The birds no longer return
to their nests at night
The camps have all fled.
You can read the bitterness
on the faces
of the innocents
During this difficult
and bruising time
In which all solidarity
has gone.
The strongest impose their will
And leave the weakest behind
Many have died battling
for twisted ends.
And joy has abandoned us
Exhausted by all this duplicity.
@aymen6642
@@abdelkhalakzbakh5869
قبل ماتتكلم على الاقل دسر جولة فالموقع الرسمي تاعهم
LES ORIGINES DU GROUPE Tinariwen
Ibrahim AG ALHABIB > #MALI 🇬🇳
Hassan AG TOUHAMI > #MALI🇬🇳
Abdallah AG ALHOUSSEYNI > #ALGERIA🇩🇿
Eyadou AG LECHE > #ALGERIA🇩🇿
Said AG AYAD > #ALGERIA🇩🇿
Elaga AG HAMID > #LIBYA🇱🇾
Sadam Iyad ABDERHAMANNE > #ALGERIA🇩🇿 le GUITARIST 😎😉
@tekleweiniokubamichael2545
I dont know how many times I cried. It took me back to the times when I was 8-10. N brings all the sweet memories with my family. No one can imagine how thank full I am to Tinarwen. From Eritrea.
@abdsadaqlaktif5762
Nice
@TomTom-xp2jb
Brother, I hear what you're saying. It pains all of us with a heart. To witness the beauty of this world being commodified is just too much, not only for the Touareg but for everyone who loves the culture and freedom they represent. Please, despair not, because this money-grubber world cannot sustain itself much longer. Pray to God and enshalla the peace will come. ❤️🙏🕊️
@davidjasperse4269
I was both in Dekem'hare (Eri) and in Gao area.(Mali)..its the feeling you cant describe
@dakuraz4867
Hey bro, tunning from ET. Something about this song is just captivating
@layinlow77
This is unrelated to your post (something that gave you those memories must be beautiful) but i am wondering the meaning of the fire that combusts spontaneously as the camel approaches the huge thing. And then there is some sort of a spiritual force released to make the huge thing float away?
@225azertyuiop
The gods 👏
@addurmedia5666
Amaziiiigh l Algeria.. Tinariwin
@calipsos
Kyn Bro
@Lukas-gi4nv
Mali not algeria🤗