Introduction
by Andy Morgan
Cry beloved Sahara! The Sahara desert
is in turmoil. Those old unshakeable scourges of under-development,
corruption, marginalisation, drought, desertification and
unemployment have been reinforced and even over-shadowed by the
intertwinining furies of islamic terrorism, rampant mineral
exploitation, drug smuggling and people trafficking. As a result, to
coin one of Hunter S. Thompson's phrases, the Sahara has undergone a
'hardening of the arteries'. The Touareg, or Kel Tamashek, as they
prefer call to themselves, seem less in command of their own
territory and destiny than at any time since the arrival of the
French army in the late 19th century. Terrorism has closed
the desert's doors to outsiders. Tourism, once one of the most
important conduits for enterprise and employment in the region, has
collapsed. Floods, droughts and conflict have killed people and
livestock. Unemployment is the norm rather than the exception. The
future looks bleak, sometimes even hopeless.
But hopelessness is a luxury, which the
Touareg know they cannot afford. When it comes to your family, your
friends, your community, your camp, your village and your beloved
homeland, you cannot give up hope. So life persists in the desert,
tenacious in its grip on the dusty soil and relentless in its desire
for freedom, self-government, development, peace and stability. Why
is Assouf... longing, homesickness...one of the words you'll hear
most often in the lyrics of Tamirest and most other modern Tamashek
'guitar' bands? Why this indestructible longing for such a seemingly
arid, harsh and frobidding landscape? Because this desert is home,
and because when there's peace and stability, it's one of the easiest
places in the world to feel free. The Touareg know that only too
well.
Tamikrest are a yound band but their
songs are old. I don't mean that they were written long ago. No, all
these songs are freshly composed, each with its eloquent and powerful
message or sentiment. I mean that the struggle of the Touareg itself
is old and Tamikrest's songs are but the latest expression of that
struggle. But struggle is not all they express. There's love there
too: love of a woman, love of a village, love of a culture and love
of nature. Love is the oldest theme of all, and it keeps hope alive.
Tamikrest are here to confront, once more, the question that should
never be without a clear and unifying answer: „What are we fighting
for?“ The answer is in every note and word of these ten songs: for
this earth, these endless horizons, this freedom, this love. For this
people, my people... Toumastin.
Statement!
By Ousmane Ag Mossa
To the Touareg youth:
We must all recognize that we belong to
a community and a culture, and that this culture is our strength in
the eyes of others.
The Touareg youth must pay attention to
their homeland 'Azawad' and to the towns, villages and camps in which
the real Touareg live. The development of this territory and these
settlements is a personal and collective duty for all of us. No one
will work for the preservation of our land if we do not do it
ourselves. As proof, you only need to consider the fifty years during
which these nation states have been harbouring us, and then take a
look at the conditions in which we live and the state of abandon in
which our people and our lands find themselves today. It's a
situation that can only rend any heart that lover our people in two.
We all have a duty to our people. That
duty is to preserve our culture and our identity, to ceaselessly
demand our basic rights at both a regional and international level,
and to emphasize our right to self-determination, without which it
will be difficult for us to deal with all problems that we face.
To the world:
The international community must not
turn a deaf ear to the possible disappearance of people like ours,
the Touareg, which would be an immense loss to all humanity. The
world today sees the suffering of the Touareg, but few are the voices
that speak out, or the ears that listen to our people who burn inside
with the suffering of entire generations for more than half a
century, thanks to the Balkanisation of their lands by nation states
that they do not recognize, states which persue a policy of
discrimination against our people with the aim of wiping them out.
The living conditions of people in the Sahara, who are poorer than
ever, bears witness to this.
The world must listen to the Touareg
heart and help them to realise their vision, which is none other than
the following: The Touareg demand that the injustice of which they
are all victims ceases forthwith, that what is ours by right be
restored to us, that's to say, our lands and the power to determine
our own destiny. The Touareg want to live in freedom in their
homeland and end of this form of colonisation, which has prevailed
since fifty years, in other words, for far too long.
OUSMANE AG MOSSA – vocals, lead
guitar, acoustic guitar
AGHALY AG MOHAMEDINE – djembe,
percussion, backing vocals
MOSSA AG BORREIBA – rhythm guitar,
backing vocals
CHEICK AG TIGLIA – bass, slide
guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
BASSA WALLET ABDAMOU – backing vocals
WANNOU WALLET SIDATY – backing
vocals
IBRAHIM AG AHMED SALAM – drums,
calabash
MAHMOUD AG AHMOUDEN – vocals &
guitar on #8 & #10
Additional musicians:
Fatma Wallet Cheick: voice on #3, #5,
#6, #7, #9; backing vocals #10
Mossa Ag Ahmed: electric guitar #9
Blaž Celarec: percussion on #4, #9 &
#11
Chris Cacavas: keyboard on #11
Rok Stirn: trombone on #4
Matjaž Sekne: viola on #11
Chris Eckman: organ on #6 & #7
A1 TIZARAT improvisation instrumentale
A2 FASSOUS TARAHNET – HER PRESTIGOUS
LOVE
Her innocent love is the wish
My heart has been seeking forever to
fulfill
The earth is turning and i cross it
like an illusion
Hoping to preserve my love for a long
time
So that it's not just a passing story.
Take care of our love, the treasure of
my soul,
Since yours has become like a plant
That nourishes my heart.
A3 NAK AMADJAR NIDOUNIA – ME, THE
STRANGER TO LIFE
„From this world, to whom I owe my
existence,
My days will reach their end“
I'm just a passanger of life
Which, as it come, will also take its
leave
My soul and heart know it, and I also
believe
That I was not created to be eternal
My life is made of illusions,
In which my sadness overwhelms my joy
My heart never ceases to express
The evil i have known, which my people
have lived.
A4 ARATAN N TINARIWEN – HEIR OF THE
DESERT
We, sons of desert
Who live in drought
This empty space
Where thirst and wind hold sway
Bare of shade and water
But full of liberty
It's the country of antelopes
And nature's beatiful beasts
A5 AYITMA MADJAM – WHERE ARE YOU MY
BROTHERS?
Where are you my brothers?
Let us demand our dreams, all of us, in
good faith
So that we can reach our goal.
Brothers, why do you wait and why all
this patience
With all the problems that never cease
to accumulate.
We see our sisters who have endured
misery
Never losing hope despite their
oppression.
Our lands are divided,
Other countries been founded on them
With their well traced frontiers
My people are divided, marginalised,
And become like strangers in their own
land
Knowing that they are dispossed and
without any authority.
A6 AIDJAN ADAKY – ALL THINGS MUST
PASS
All things must pass
And something else will take its place
Nothing in life is eternal
Its joy often follows its pain
And life will give its all to he who
knows himself!
So whatever you have experienced, stay
vigilant
Do not trust it. Expect further
tribulations.
I've attempted so much
And thought of doing so much more
Just to make the dream of my soul come
true,
But the again, well I know
That nothing is done
Unless it is the will of God.
B1 ADDEKTEGH - improvisation
instrumentale
B2 TARHAMANINE ASSINEGH – TO YOU MY
LOVE I SAY
To you my love, I say:
When i remember you i'm happy
To you my love, I say:
It reminds me of days gone by
To you my love, I say:
When my heart had no other worries
To you my love, I say:
My dream is you
To you my love, I say:
My essence is you
To you my love, I say:
My heart is yours
To you my love, I say:
You are the mistress of my thoughts
B3 NAK AKALINE TINZA – TINZA, MY
HOMELAND
Tinza is my home
My fatherland, which I inhabit and so
admire
I grew up there, and there I learned
how to love
I left my memories of childhood there
too
Those unforgettable memories, shared
with my brothers
From my village which I knew so well,
and loved.
B4 TIDIT – REALITY
The truth we know it well
And we know you know it too
When you rise up
Only to split up
It's the enemy you're encouraging.
You love freedom
You chant for it in your sleep
But the enemy thinks of you
Like the trough in which he quenches
his thirst
There are old men who have waited,
patiently since birth
For you to build a unified country
We have suffered too much; it's our
dishonour
If you don't strive towards a clear
objective.
B5 DIHAD TEDOUN ITRAN – WHEN THE
STARS FALL
Whe the stars fall
I listen to the beautiful melody of the
wind
It's the time when, all alone, I engage
with my thoughts
I sit longingly, and see nothing
But the traces of memories.
My heart speaks to me about some dream
And much besides, much that gives me
pain.
The world seems tight and narrow
When my soul sister is not here with
me.
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