Tishoumaren (Desert Blues)
I. Introduction: A Brief History
Tishoumaren, known internationally as desert blues or Saharan rock, is a genre that comes from the Sahara region of North and West Africa. Sometimes it is referred to simply as “guitar music”. The music finds its roots in the cultural expression of the Tuareg people of the region of Northwest Africa which would become modern day Mali, Algeria, Niger, Libya, Burkina Faso, and Chad amid the sociopolitical tension of post-colonial Africa. Following extreme drought in 1973 which negatively impacted the Tamasheq-speaking traditional nomadic pastoral lifestyle, many had to reconsider their livelihoods. This resulted in the term “ishumar”, a term derived from the French word “chômeur“, which means “unemployed” being used to refer to young Tamasheq. Many members of this younger generation of Tamasheq would go on to experiment with guitar-based music—first acoustic, then eventually electric.
In Tin Essako in early 2001 Manny Ansar, the manager of the Tuarged band Tinariwen co-organized the first ever annual Festival au Désert (Festival in the Desert) which showcased mainly Tuareg music but also brought in musicians from around the world. The festival was held annually between 2001 and 2012 when, Islamic militants invaded Timbuktu where the festival was being held by 2010. Since 2012 the festival has not been held due to security concerns.
II. Notable Artists
Some notable musicians who contributed to tishoumaren (desert blues) are outlined in the following section. As in the previous entries, my goal is to focus primarily on underrepresented, diverse musicians who were largely overlooked—or still are largely overlooked in western culture.
Ali Farka Touré (1939 – 2006)
Touré, often cited as a pioneer of desert blues, is a singer and multi-instrumentalism born to a family belonging to the Songhai community in the village of Kanau, Mali before his family moved to the village of Naifunké while he was still an infant. His father died in 1960 while serving in the French army. He was the tenth son born to his mother, the only one who survived past infancy. His nickname, “Farka”, which means “donkey”, was given to him by his parents as the donkey is revered for its stubbornness and tenacity. In Malian culture, musical performance was for members of a lower castle called the “griot” and since he was from the “noble” castle, Touré was forbidden from playing music. Despite this, he built a monochord in secret out of a tin can to play with his friends. Touré’s breakthrough into the music industry was his job as a sound engineer at Radio Mali in Bamako, the only recording studio in Mali. After sending tapes to several French record labels, he was able to release a series of self-titled albums in the late 70s and early 80s. After a long, successful career, Touré passed away in 2006 from bone cancer. He is notable not only in African music, but also managed to find international success. Musically, Touré masterfully blended Malian music with African American blues. An excellent example of Touré’s musicianship comes in the form of ‘Savane’ from his very last album of the same name (2006; see video below).
“Let me make one thing clear. I’m the donkey that nobody climbs on”
– Ali Farka Touré (n.d.) [3]
Reflection on ‘Savane‘ by Ali Farka Touré (2006):
The simplicity of the sound yet the complexity of the guitar playing in the opening seconds captured my attention immediately. Once a few extra layers of guitar come in, I’m even more sold than I was initially. He managed to create a sense of tension with a hint of cheekiness. His voice comes in and I just love what I hear. He’s singing in French but I can’t quite make out the lyrical content. His lyrics are sparse but effective. They start soft, but build a bit in volume and emotion throughout the song. I adore the instrumental breaks. I love how on one hand the track is fairly minimalistic, only really incorporating guitar with some vocals here and there. I absolutely adore what I’m hearing and am excited to listen to more from Touré!
Fadimata Walett Oumar – Tartit
Born around 1960 in the commune of Gargando in Mali, Oumar—also know by her nickname, Disco—is one of the key members of the Tuareg music group, Tartit. She lived a nomadic life in her youth and had a passion for music from a young age. She would often sit by the fire singing while playing the anzad—a traditional Tuareg fiddle. Amid the Tuareg rebellion against the Malian and Nigerian states in the early to mid-1990s, Oumar took refuge in a refugee camp in Burkina Faso. After traveling to Italy a couple times in that time, she founded the Tartit’n’Chetma (“The Union of Sisters”) in 1995 with the aim of economic reintegration and education for children. The same year, she was encouraged by Brigitte Caquet, director Voix des Femmes, a festical in Liège, Belgium to form a musical group and play in Europe. Realizing that a career in music might give her a platform upon which to raise awareness for the living conditions of exiled families, she went on to form Tartit which means “union” in Tamacheck. In 2003, Tartit would go on to perform in the Festival au Désert. By this time, Tartit had cemented themselves as an important desert blues group. Their 2006 song ‘Ansari’ (see video below) does a wonderful job of displaying their undeniable talent.
Reflection on ‘Ansari‘ by Tartit (2006):
Within like 3 seconds I found myself bobbing along to the smooth beat. The percussion is especially irresistible. The vocals are also absolutely serene! I almost appreciate the fact that I don’t understand anything that’s being said I cause I can really get lost in those delicious guitar licks, those thick drums, and the angelic chorus of women singing. I can kind of picture myself listening to the band play this around a giant bonfire for some reason. It’s the kind of song that just takes me out of where I am and makes me forget about the world for a few minutes and that’s quite the feat. It’s almost hard to really focus my thoughts cause I just get so caught up in nodding along – makes me want to dance and I’m a terrible dancer! It’s just so good! I actually went ahead and listened to the whole album and it’s just fantastic the whole way through. Highly recommend!
Ibrahim Ag Alhabib – Tinariwen
Alhabib was born in the village of Tessalit, Mali around 1960. From a young age he was passionate about music: when he was young, he played the flute and even made his first guitar out of a can and some strings. When Alhabib was only a few years old, his father was executed by the Malian army when he was accused of being in contact with the Tuareg rebellion (1962-1964). Due to extreme drought and massacres of civilians at the hand of the Malian army, he fled for Algeria with his grandmother at the age of four. Throughout his early adulthood, Alhabib worked several trade jobs but continued playing guitar influenced by the likes of Elvis Presley, James Brown, and Boney M.. He began hosting concerts with several friends who would go on to form the musical group Tinariwen, meaning “the building of countries / lands” in 1982. They would go on to be influential in the Tuareg rebellion of the 1990s while aiming to spread messages of hope and resistance to fellow Tuaregs. Tinariwen is considered to be a very important group in the music world of desert blues, and their song ‘Cler Achel’ (see video below) from their album ‘Aman Iman‘ (201makes it clear why they are seen as so influential.
Reflection on ‘Cler Achel‘ by Tinariwen (2007):
Like the previous track, I can’t help but move and nod along to this one. The one thing I am noticing that stands out is the inclusion of electric guitar with a little extra distortion and drive compared to the previous two tracks. This one is a bit more upbeat and energized which makes me feel like I’m on an epic journey, but far from alone; the chorus of voices that accompany Alhabib just boosts the energy to the next level making it really feel much bigger. Like the previous song, I haven’t a clue what the lyrics are about, but I love that I can just focus on the driving beat and those sexy guitar riffs. It’s just… groovy. That’s the best way I can describe it. I’ll definitely have to check out more of Tinariwen’s work because this is just so catchy and fun!
References:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_blues
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festival_au_D%C3%A9sert
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Farka_Tour%C3%A9
[4] Ali Farka Touré. (2022). Savane. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC81Wsk3p2Q
[5] https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fadimata_Walet_Oumar
[6] https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartit
[8] https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibrahim_ag_Alhabib
[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinariwen
[10] Tinariwen. (2019). Cler Achel. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tkeGLHxuTI