The griot of Ivory Coast
Richard Burnett
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Tiken Jah Fakoly travels the well-trodden road of exile in Mali
photo: Courtesy Festival Nuits d'Afrique
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The triumph of reggae hero Tiken Jah Fakoly
Tiken Jah Fakoly, Ivory Coast's exiled reggae superstar and a voice of his people, will never forget Montreal."My favourite concert was [there] in 2002," Fakoly recalls. "I needed the [malaria medication] Alphan but could not find any, and so asked for Lariam as a substitute. I was told to take five tablets together and then was sick in my hotel bed for three days. My [outdoor Nuits d'Afrique] concert was on the fourth day. I willed myself on stage. There were 10,000 people there and I sang a great concert. In my 15 years of performing, that one concert has most marked my career."
That's quite something coming from the modern-roots reggae star that Europe and Africa have hailed as a modern-day griot (responsible for keeping the oral history among certain peoples in West Africa). "They call me the griot of African reggae. I am a modern griot. I tell the chiefs what I think, tell them what the people think."
So much so that in Sept. 2002 he had to escape Ivory Coast as civil war broke out. Fakoly now lives in exile in neighbouring Mali. "I stood up against the war but my message wasn't far from that of the rebels. So it was prudent for me to leave. Good thing too, because a few days later government authorities came looking for me."
Like Angélique Kidjo, who roundly criticized despot Robert Mugabe at a 2006 press conference in Zimbabwe ("There was dead silence but I was not afraid," Kidjo told me last month), Fakoly is also not afraid to speak his mind.
"I'm not scared," Fakoly
says. "There have always been people who have spoken for the voiceless. I can't say who chose us. But I have chosen to stand up for them. Kidjo said what had to be said. Same for me. We are not afraid."Fakoly's most recent album, 2005's Coup de gueule (Outburst), explores similar themes of freedom and liberation. Which is not surprising considering Fakoly models himself on Jamaican roots legend Burning Spear.
"I heard Bob Marley first. [Fellow countryman] Alpha Blondy was also very important because he showed Africans that being a Rasta was not synonymous with being a druggie. But I have always really loved listening to Burning Spear. I love how he retells history from slavery to today and back to Africa. I am deeply drawn to his music."
Just like a new generation of reggae fans are drawn to Fakoly.
oooNuits d'Afrique festival highlights Tiken Jah Fakoly headlines the Spectrum on July 12 at 8 p.m.... Other must-see shows include legendary South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela at La Tulipe on July 17; Mali desert blues guitar virtuoso Vieux Farka Touré, son of the late and legendary Ali Farka Touré, also at La Tulipe, on July 18; and the "elephant" brother of Touré Kunda, Ousmane Touré, brings his Senegalese tribal riddims to Kola Note on July 15.
The festival will also present over 20 free concerts July 19-22 at Place Émilie-Gamelin (Berri Square). Surf to www.festivalnuitsdafrique.com for the schedule of performers.
