Rokia
Traoré
Born in Bamako, this young woman of 29 years old is from a noble Mandingo
family. She left Mali at 4 to stay in Europe, Orient, North Africa
and Africa because her father who was a diplomat. In the family house,
they have always leaved like Africans. Their parents taught them the
principles of Mandingo culture. She grew up listening music of her
country, of upper Niger buckle, the National
Instrumental Ensemble, Lamissa
Bengaly (famous balafon
(xylophone) player of the Kenedougou) and the singers of the Wassoulou.
As a little girl, she listened to them and afterwards learned their
vocal and instrumental techniques.
In 1993, back in Mali, Rokia enrols in a rap band at school. They
were called the “Let’s fight”, it was just to accomplish
her first arms of singer. After a few concerts in Mali between 1995
and 1997, she realized Mounéissa in 1998.
It’s an astonishing album on which you can hear a singer open
to ancestral influences and other influences she met when following
her father around the world. The first album is a real success because
the Rose is consecrated in 1999 “Best revelation of Malian music”.
In 1997, she was already the prize-winner of the competition “Découvertes
RFI”.
Her
success is not astonishing because she created an authentic style.
In her music, we find characteristics of the Sahelian Music.
She as developed her vocal capacities and improved her arrangements
to confront the difficulties of the second album. “In my world
sounds stranger to my language call me, suggest me fabulous melodies…
Sometimes, I imagine that I’m a rocker singing in Bambara. Then,
I choose the right modulation to respect the intensity of the note,
keeping at the same time it fragility, this gives colours to my song,
I ask my voice to make it as I want. The softness one feels is in
my character because I hate violence…” said the singer.
Even if the historical singers, such as Awa
Drame, Fanta Damba
"The young" or "the first", and Ami
Koïta are her references, Rokia explores new ways: from high
notes to soft murmur, passing by Arabic intonation, she uses sound
effects that give high and deepness to her voice. Her bet is to make
authentic and innovating music without following the fashions. Her
band had been formed by traditional school.
Her
instruments are traditional (balaba,
n'goni, karignan,
djita, djembé…),
but her voice is free and she doesn’t follow the esthetical
canon. Wanita, her second album is a proof. An album which had an
international success. She was rewarded at the Kora Awards 2001 with
the trophy of the best female hope. The new album, Bowboï, shows
her band and her state of mind. It’s the result of the experiences
the collected from their tours around the world (Los Angeles to Sidney
passing by London and Tokyo, Paris, Sun City, Brussels, Amsterdam,
Mexico… It shows that the musicians have work together to lead
traditional instruments towards modernity accompanying a surprising
and bewitching voice.
On
tour and concerts
The Super Rail Band is
back from his tour which took two months. During this tour, they made
shows in France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark and England. We hope that
this long tour which will be punctuated by the releasing of their
new album, will allow our ambassadors to find back the place which
is theirs at the time of Salif
Keita and Mory Kanté.
Issa
Bagayogo, nicknamed techno Issa since the release of his album
Sya by the Malian, will soon go to Paris for 5 concerts. He restarts
his tours after the cancellation of some of his shows because of the
war in Iraq. When he’ll be back, he will enter the studio Bogolan
to record his next album.
The artists of the Wassoulou, against all difficulties, keep their
bet.: A tour in the second and third region in the raining season.
Everyone knows that most of the hall in Mali are not covered (no roof)
and in the deep Mali, people are more interested by their work in
the fields than by distraction, don’t we say that when you’re
hungry, you cannot hear? The goals of this tour (see Mag 16) are to
collect money for the building of a Wassoulou cultural centre. After
Sikasso and Koutiala on 13th and 14th of June, they went to Banamba
(Koulikoro) on 6th of July, Kélibana on 14, Kolondièba
on 15, Kadiana on 16, Koumantou on 17 and Nièna on 18. The
success of the operation gives us courage, in spite of our host’s
preoccupations about of their work at the fields, we’ll pursue
our tour because we really want to build a place where cultural meetings
can take place” said one of the person in charge of the tour.
