Rock, blues and funk owe themselves mostly to African musical tropes brought to the West, through the slave trade and by way of the Caribbean. Now, African musicians are taking rock themes and instrumentation, and mixing them with their traditional melodies and rhythms. Here’s one I really like: Malian composer, singer and instrumentalist Fatoumata Diawara.
I have written before about Diawara. She is one of the few breakout stars from Africa to gain global recognition. She writes beautiful songs, has a rich, textured voice, and on top of that can even play some mean guitar.
She mostly writes and sings about societal concerns like freedom, sovereignty, civil war, emigration, genocide, misogyny and race relations, but always with a sense of hope that things can be better. She has little visibility in the U.S. but a big international following.
That brings me back to one of my main complaints about our music industry. Diawara is a signature example of what we are missing because of the barriers our government has put up to foreign artists.
https://medium.com/the-riff/are-you-a-foreign-artist-you-are-officially-not-wanted-here-37ed24868956
She finally cracked the U.S. in 2013 when she was invited to perform at the annual gathering of the Clinton Global Initiative. I think she’s fantastic, but should it take this kind of patronage to get in the gates here? And what hope does that offer emerging artists?
Diawara has become an important symbol of Africa’s struggles to find a better future. Unlike fellow Malian star Aya Nakamura, she has retained her Malian citizenship, and her songs are more overtly political. Here is a song about the migrant crisis, from a personal viewpoint.
“Nterini” (lyrics below)
My love has gone far away and may never come back
He has left his family and friends behind and gone away
He may never come back
What am I to do?
He was my friend and my confidant
How is he?
Just let me know how you are
You have gone to a faraway land I miss you greatly
You have always been my guide
And I love you with all my heart
My love has taken off
Who knows when he will come back?
My darling has gone far away
And may never come back again
He has gone to live in a faraway country He has not told me anything
It was not the rough morning weather
That prevented me from seeing him
Nor the heat of the midday sun
Not even the dangers of going out at dusk
Because I could not sleep well if I didn’t see you