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Tiken Jah Fakoly
Reggae Rebel With A Cause
Paris
21/01/2001 -
Ivory Coast reggae star Tiken Jah Fakoly has become a spokesperson for a whole generation of young Ivorian music fans, using his songs to comment on the political situation in his homeland. And Tiken's hard-hitting lyrics have become more pertinent than ever, given recent events in Ivory Coast. The winner of last year's "Découverte RFI Afrique" award will be performing at MIDEM on Monday January 23rd, before continuing his winter tour of France's regional capitals (see below). We met up with Tiken just before MIDEM and asked him a few questions about his career to date:
Tiken, what did winning last year's "Découverte RFI Afrique" award mean to you?
Winning the "Découverte Afrique" award was a great joy and a great honour. The award is obviously very important at this stage of my career when I'm just launching myself on the international music scene. Thanks to RFI and its partner radio stations, I know I'll benefit from a lot of extra promotion on the airwaves. Is it important to you to bring your African-style reggae to Europe?
It's essential because what I'm trying to do is put a message across in my songs and inform people about what's really going on in Ivory Coast. My songs give a totally different view of what's happening in Ivory Coast right now, compared to what's written in the national press.
I think one of our greatest strengths is that young people have started to really listen to what we've got to say. They believe we have truth on our side. It's really important that my music breaks through abroad now, because even though the international press has tried to inform people about what's going on in Ivory Coast, they don't really know the whole picture. Living there on a daily basis, we know exactly what's going on at a local level, which means we have access to information that foreign journalists could never have. You're a bit like a griot* really, going round singing about the arrival of democracy in Africa …
Of course I am. I'm a modern-day griot, the griot of Africa's new democracy. My role is to keep a watchful eye on things – I denounce the way in which democracy is presented to people in Africa. For me, true democracy begins with freedom of speech and the reason I express my opinions is because I'm a free man. This has an effect on other people too. Young people who listen to my music think "Well, if Tiken can come out and say that, so can we!" That's why I always try to make the lyrics of my songs as direct as possible. Do you think young music fans in Europe get a better understanding of Africa through your songs?
Yes, I do get that impression. I think people have really listened to what I'm trying to say in my songs. There've been times when I've been walking along the street in Paris or somewhere and people have come up to me and congratulated me. They've really encouraged me to keep fighting for what I believe in. People come to my concerts because they want to find out what's really going on in Ivory Coast. Do you think international audiences understand the difference between your African-style reggae and the traditional Jamaican reggae played by Bob Marley or Peter Tosh?
Well, I'm not the only one promoting African reggae. There's also my 'big brother' Alpha Blondy. I think we've both helped put African reggae on the map. The big difference between us and the Jamaicans is that we sing in our native tongue, Dioula and French. But we're putting exactly the same message across.
Jamaican history is different from ours, though - they lived through slavery and we didn't. Those of us who stayed in Africa lived a different history and now we've got our own message to put across and that's about obtaining real democracy in our country. At the same time, though, we have a lot of things in common with Jamaican reggae. We're also trying to put across a message of peace and unity and fight for people's right to think what they like. You recently went out to Jamaica to work with Clive Hunt, just as Alpha Blondy has done in the past …
Yes, I actually recorded my latest album in Abidjan but I mixed it in Jamaica. Clive really likes what I'm doing musically, but as he's already done a lot with my 'brother' Alpha, it's a bit difficult for him to work with both of us at the same time.
It was great going out to Jamaica and meeting all the 'brothers' over there, hooking up with people like U Roy and Clive. I think they were pleased to see that there's a new generation of reggae musicians in Africa ready to follow on what Alpha and Lucky Dube have been doing. You released Cours d'histoire in Europe in the summer of 2000 and almost straight afterwards Le caméléon came out in Abidjan and went on to be a huge hit all over Africa. Why release two albums in such a short space of time?
I like to make my songs as topical as possible and keep up with what's going on in the news. I'm an independent artist and I take care of my own production as far as record releases in Africa go. So there's nothing to stop me putting out an album whenever I feel like it or whenever there's something I feel needs commenting on on the political front.
What I'd really like is to have my albums released simultaneously in Africa and the rest of the world. But Sony, who are looking after my international releases, are really against that for the moment. They don't think the market's 'ripe' yet. Unlike Youssou N'Dour, you're keen on the idea of releasing the same album in Africa and on the international market, aren't you?
Yes, of course I am. Youssou N'Dour plays a very different style of music - what he's doing is modernising traditional African sounds. But I'm in a different category altogether. Reggae is international already.
The only changes would be in the mix really. I take care of all my own production costs in Africa, and besides, we don't have access to the same hi-tech equipment that musicians do in Europe. What Sony could do is remix my album and give it a more 'international' sound then release it internationally. But I'd want exactly the same songs on both albums – I don't see why fans in Africa should get songs of a lesser quality. That would be a huge injustice!
Winning the "Découverte Afrique" award was a great joy and a great honour. The award is obviously very important at this stage of my career when I'm just launching myself on the international music scene. Thanks to RFI and its partner radio stations, I know I'll benefit from a lot of extra promotion on the airwaves. Is it important to you to bring your African-style reggae to Europe?
It's essential because what I'm trying to do is put a message across in my songs and inform people about what's really going on in Ivory Coast. My songs give a totally different view of what's happening in Ivory Coast right now, compared to what's written in the national press.
I think one of our greatest strengths is that young people have started to really listen to what we've got to say. They believe we have truth on our side. It's really important that my music breaks through abroad now, because even though the international press has tried to inform people about what's going on in Ivory Coast, they don't really know the whole picture. Living there on a daily basis, we know exactly what's going on at a local level, which means we have access to information that foreign journalists could never have. You're a bit like a griot* really, going round singing about the arrival of democracy in Africa …
Of course I am. I'm a modern-day griot, the griot of Africa's new democracy. My role is to keep a watchful eye on things – I denounce the way in which democracy is presented to people in Africa. For me, true democracy begins with freedom of speech and the reason I express my opinions is because I'm a free man. This has an effect on other people too. Young people who listen to my music think "Well, if Tiken can come out and say that, so can we!" That's why I always try to make the lyrics of my songs as direct as possible. Do you think young music fans in Europe get a better understanding of Africa through your songs?
Yes, I do get that impression. I think people have really listened to what I'm trying to say in my songs. There've been times when I've been walking along the street in Paris or somewhere and people have come up to me and congratulated me. They've really encouraged me to keep fighting for what I believe in. People come to my concerts because they want to find out what's really going on in Ivory Coast. Do you think international audiences understand the difference between your African-style reggae and the traditional Jamaican reggae played by Bob Marley or Peter Tosh?
Well, I'm not the only one promoting African reggae. There's also my 'big brother' Alpha Blondy. I think we've both helped put African reggae on the map. The big difference between us and the Jamaicans is that we sing in our native tongue, Dioula and French. But we're putting exactly the same message across.
Jamaican history is different from ours, though - they lived through slavery and we didn't. Those of us who stayed in Africa lived a different history and now we've got our own message to put across and that's about obtaining real democracy in our country. At the same time, though, we have a lot of things in common with Jamaican reggae. We're also trying to put across a message of peace and unity and fight for people's right to think what they like. You recently went out to Jamaica to work with Clive Hunt, just as Alpha Blondy has done in the past …
Yes, I actually recorded my latest album in Abidjan but I mixed it in Jamaica. Clive really likes what I'm doing musically, but as he's already done a lot with my 'brother' Alpha, it's a bit difficult for him to work with both of us at the same time.
It was great going out to Jamaica and meeting all the 'brothers' over there, hooking up with people like U Roy and Clive. I think they were pleased to see that there's a new generation of reggae musicians in Africa ready to follow on what Alpha and Lucky Dube have been doing. You released Cours d'histoire in Europe in the summer of 2000 and almost straight afterwards Le caméléon came out in Abidjan and went on to be a huge hit all over Africa. Why release two albums in such a short space of time?
I like to make my songs as topical as possible and keep up with what's going on in the news. I'm an independent artist and I take care of my own production as far as record releases in Africa go. So there's nothing to stop me putting out an album whenever I feel like it or whenever there's something I feel needs commenting on on the political front.
What I'd really like is to have my albums released simultaneously in Africa and the rest of the world. But Sony, who are looking after my international releases, are really against that for the moment. They don't think the market's 'ripe' yet. Unlike Youssou N'Dour, you're keen on the idea of releasing the same album in Africa and on the international market, aren't you?
Yes, of course I am. Youssou N'Dour plays a very different style of music - what he's doing is modernising traditional African sounds. But I'm in a different category altogether. Reggae is international already.
The only changes would be in the mix really. I take care of all my own production costs in Africa, and besides, we don't have access to the same hi-tech equipment that musicians do in Europe. What Sony could do is remix my album and give it a more 'international' sound then release it internationally. But I'd want exactly the same songs on both albums – I don't see why fans in Africa should get songs of a lesser quality. That would be a huge injustice!
Is touring in Africa and commenting on the political situation in different countries over there important to you?
Yes, of course, it's absolutely essential. And that's exactly what I said to the person in charge of organising my tours in France. I said that whenever I was needed in Africa, in whatever country, then I wanted to be free to go. I really want to spend as much time as possible communicating with African audiences.
It's really important to go out to places like Burkina Faso where there aren't any committed artists or protest singers and tell young people what they want to hear. It's important to go out to places like Mali and Guinea and urge the president to let the opposition leader Alpha Condé out of jail. That's how I see my 'mission' in any case …
* griot = African storyteller
Tiken Jah Fakoly will be in concert in Cergy-Pontoise (20 January), Cannes (22 January), Lyons (23 January), Toulouse (25 January), Montpellier (26 January) and Marseilles (27 January).
Tiken Jah Fakoly will be in concert in Cergy-Pontoise (20 January), Cannes (22 January), Lyons (23 January), Toulouse (25 January), Montpellier (26 January) and Marseilles (27 January).
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