Yus and Dave,
Africa should mourn the loss of this great maestro of African blues who artfully combined the skill of singing with the arduous work of irrigation farming. In addition to singing in his native Songhai (also known as Koroboro), Ali Farka had the rare talent of singing in Bambara, Fulani, French, Soninke and Tamaschek among several other Sahelian languages. It is one thing to speak another person’s language but it requires a touch of genius to compose and perform songs in that language without using a written script.
Although he never had any formal education, Ali Farka spoke and wrote very good French, thanks to his early association with the late Malian writer-philosopher, Amadou Hampate Ba, who also exposed him to other facets of Mali’s rich cultural heritage.
Farka (which means donkey in his native Koroboro) was particularly adept at playing the guitar and several traditional instruments including the ngoni and njarka. His work with American guitarist, Ry Cooder, and lately with Malian kora star, Toumani Diabaté, mesmerized crowds across the globe, from London’s Wembley Stadium to New York’s Central Park. Rightly or wrongly, he has often been compared with the great John Lee Hooker. Listening to Farka though, one would tend to agree with him when he boasted, “I am the root and the trunk, and all they (American blues) have is the branches and the leaves.”
He will be remembered not only for his songs and talent, but also for proving just like Youssou Ndure and a few others that an African musician does not necessarily need to emigrate to the West to be successful.
May his soul rest in peace.
Momodou.
Yusupha Jow <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Brother Dave:
Sad news for fans of the Blues and stringed instruments worldwide. But in his death, we can celebrate his achievements which are numerous.
Ali Farka transcended his humble Tuareg/Manding roots in becoming a recognized international star. Even more than greats like Salif Keita, he succeeded in selling the great history of Malian/Manding stringed music to the West. As a friend jokingly reminded me once, Farka proved that the Blues originated from Mali and not America.
I'll never forget watching a documentary which featured a young Ali Farka in his first tour abroad with the Malian National Troupe. Young and vibrant, he looked and sounded glorious strumming the Kora while another fellow played the drums - just sweet music to the ears. He also collaborated with Blues/Jazz greats such as Taj Mahal. In doing this, he opened the doors for many musicians from Mali such as Toumani Diabate and many others. We can even listen to Tuareg rock, which frankly threw me for a loop the first time I heard this genre of music - thanks to the exposure he gave to his Tuareg cousins. The yearly Festival in the Desert, now an internationally reknown gathering which world music fanatics from virtually every country flock to, came to prominence largely due to Farka's efforts.
We have lost a great ambassador of music in Ali Farka but can be proud and satisfied with the legacy he left.
Thanks!
Yusupha
On 3/7/06, [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask] > wrote: [ This e-mail is posted to Gambia|Post e-Gathering by < [log in to unmask]> ]
Bredda Yus,
On a similar note, this is a great loss to African music and art. Quite a character
he was.
Rest in peace Ali.
Regards
Dave
African star Ali Farka Toure dies
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4782176.stm
--------------------------------------------------------------
Sent with "Me-Mail", Boltblue's FREE mobile messaging service.
http://www.boltblue.com
----------------------------gambiapost.NET------------------------------
------LATEST NEWS FROM THE GAMBIA, NOW AT:>>-------
http://www.gambiapost.net/newspaper
______________________________________________
_ | FREE HALIFA SALLAH | _
/ )| |( \
/ / | OMAR OJ JALLOW , HAMAT BAH & | \ \
_( ( | _ _ | ) )_
(((\ \ | / / ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS < \ | / /)))
(\ \|/ / \ \|/ ////)
\ /----------------------------------------\ /
\ / \ /
\ / \ \
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Mail
Bring photos to life! New PhotoMail makes sharing a breeze.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html
To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
|
