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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Spotlight Advanced. I'm Andrew Davis and.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm Alice Irrazari. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting.

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<v Speaker 2>It is easier for people to understand no matter where

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<v Speaker 2>in the world they live.

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<v Speaker 1>Since the beginning, rock and roll was all about rebellion.

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<v Speaker 1>The styles, electric instruments and loud music seemed frightening to

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<v Speaker 1>older listeners, but to young people these new sounds were welcome.

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<v Speaker 1>They expressed their dissatisfaction. It gave them something to dance to.

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<v Speaker 2>But for one group of musicians, this rebellion was more

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<v Speaker 2>real than most. The group of musicians is called Tinariwen.

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<v Speaker 2>Formed in nineteen seventy nine, Its members fought for their people,

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<v Speaker 2>both in song and in reality. Together they even created

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<v Speaker 2>a new form of music. Today's spotlight is on Tenariwen.

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<v Speaker 1>Tenariwen is a group of musicians from northern Africa. They

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<v Speaker 1>are Tuareg. The Tuareg people are nomadic, without a single home. Instead,

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<v Speaker 1>they travel from place to place herding sheep and other animals. Traditionally,

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<v Speaker 1>the Tuareg people had no nation. The Sahara Desert was

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<v Speaker 1>their home. They traveled wherever the desert was without restriction.

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<v Speaker 2>This changed in the nineteen sixties, France ruled much of

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<v Speaker 2>northern Africa, but in the nineteen sixties they gave power

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<v Speaker 2>back to the native peoples. They created different countries like Libya, Algeria, Mali, Niger,

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<v Speaker 2>and Burkina Fasso.

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<v Speaker 1>This was a positive change for many people living in

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<v Speaker 1>these countries, but the Tuareg often traveled between these countries.

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<v Speaker 1>These new countries restricted their traditional way of life. Many

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<v Speaker 1>Tuareg felt like they had no power. In nineteen sixty three,

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<v Speaker 1>Tuareg in Mali rebelled against their government. They tried to

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<v Speaker 1>create their own country.

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<v Speaker 2>This rebellion failed. The government of Mali killed many Tuareg fighters.

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<v Speaker 2>Ibrahim ag al Haabib is one of the founding members

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<v Speaker 2>of Tinariwen. His father was a rebel fighter. In nineteen

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<v Speaker 2>sixty three, he watched as his father was executed for

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<v Speaker 2>being part of the rebellion. He grew up in refugee

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<v Speaker 2>camps without a home or work.

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<v Speaker 1>The first members of tinari Win met many years later,

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<v Speaker 1>but they shared similar experiences. The problems and pains of

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<v Speaker 1>the Tuareg people are at the heart of their music.

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<v Speaker 1>Abdallah ag al Hussini is one of the first members

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<v Speaker 1>of tinari Win. He spoke to the Quietas about their music.

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<v Speaker 3>Our message is connected to the things we love and

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<v Speaker 3>care for. It is about the desert which is our home.

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<v Speaker 3>It is about these people who are our family. We

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<v Speaker 3>want the world to know of their beauty and the originality.

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<v Speaker 3>We want to talk about all the problems that are

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<v Speaker 3>threatened them every day.

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<v Speaker 2>At first, the members of tinari Win played traditional tuaregg music,

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<v Speaker 2>and they did not think of themselves as a musical group.

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<v Speaker 2>They did not even have a name. The people who

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<v Speaker 2>listen to them them Tenari when this means the desert boys.

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<v Speaker 2>Ayad agh Leche plays the bass guitar, a low sounding

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<v Speaker 2>instrument with Tenari when he spoke to the Kwaidas about

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<v Speaker 2>those early days.

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<v Speaker 4>This was not a band in the sense of your

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<v Speaker 4>definition of a band in Europe. It was an open

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<v Speaker 4>family of writers and musicians. They performed only for their friends,

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<v Speaker 4>and later they performed for traditional marriage ceremonies and parties.

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<v Speaker 1>But Western music also influenced tinari when soon many members

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<v Speaker 1>of the band traded their instruments for electric guitars. These

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<v Speaker 1>stringed instruments define modern rock music. In the nineteen eighties,

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<v Speaker 1>the band discovered Western musicians like Jimi Hendrix, led Zeppelin

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<v Speaker 1>and B. B. King. Tenari Ween combined this music with

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<v Speaker 1>their own. The result was a special sound that brings

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<v Speaker 1>to mind the desert and its people.

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<v Speaker 2>Tinariwen soon grew popular among the Twareg people. But the

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<v Speaker 2>band were not just musicians. They were also soldiers. Muammar

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<v Speaker 2>al Kadafi was the ruler of Libya in nineteen eighty,

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<v Speaker 2>he invited Twareg men to train with his army. Many

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<v Speaker 2>in Tenariwen accepted. In Libya, they learned to use guns

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<v Speaker 2>to defend themselves. But it was also here that their

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<v Speaker 2>music became more political. Their music spoke about creating a

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<v Speaker 2>new Twareg country. It spoke about having pride in their people,

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<v Speaker 2>though many had lost their way of life.

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<v Speaker 1>Then, in nineteen ninety war came to Mali. Tuareg rebel

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<v Speaker 1>fighters attacked government buildings. These fighters demanded a separate government

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<v Speaker 1>for a new nation. They protested there was no place

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<v Speaker 1>for them in Mali's government. They were also dissatisfied because

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<v Speaker 1>of a drought. A drought is a time with little rain.

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<v Speaker 1>It caused poverty and starvation among the Tuareg.

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<v Speaker 2>For six months. Some members of Tinariwen joined the rebellion.

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<v Speaker 2>When the fighting ended, Twareg in Mali had more power.

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<v Speaker 2>Fighting between different groups continued over the years, but since

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<v Speaker 2>then they devoted their lives only to making music. In

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<v Speaker 2>two thousand and one, they released their first record for

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<v Speaker 2>international audiences. They called it the Radio Tistas Sessions.

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<v Speaker 1>Kiotistas Sessions launched tenaru Ween's career. Since then, they have

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<v Speaker 1>played shows all over the world. They released a total

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<v Speaker 1>of nine collections of songs. The Grammy Awards are awards

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<v Speaker 1>presented by the Recording Academy of the United States. The

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<v Speaker 1>awards are given every year for excellent music recordings. They

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<v Speaker 1>have chosen tenari Ween three times. One collection of songs, Tassili,

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<v Speaker 1>won the award for Best World Music album.

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<v Speaker 2>Sadly, Tenariwin's success did not mean peace in their countries.

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<v Speaker 2>In twenty twelve, Twareg rebels attacked government buildings in Mali.

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<v Speaker 2>They drove Malian forces from the northeastern part of the country.

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<v Speaker 2>They tried to create a new country called Azawad, but

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<v Speaker 2>this rebellion quickly changed extreme Misted Islamist terrorists attacked the

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<v Speaker 2>Tuareg forces. They took over the same area. These forces

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<v Speaker 2>targeted to Nariwen's music, they called it music of the Devil.

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<v Speaker 1>Since that time, Tinariwen has been unable to return to Mali,

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<v Speaker 1>but the group continues to be the voice of the

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<v Speaker 1>Tuareg people. They speak about the beauty of being with

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<v Speaker 1>friends under the open sky. They speak about a longing

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<v Speaker 1>for the traditional way, but they also speak about a

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<v Speaker 1>longing for peace. Tanari Ween is a voice that translates

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<v Speaker 1>more than music. They speak to the soul. Abdallah ag

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<v Speaker 1>al Hussini spoke to Panafricanmusic dot com. He said, our.

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<v Speaker 3>Music is based on a well thought out message. Many

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<v Speaker 3>people understand it through our way of singing. They understand

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<v Speaker 3>it in our ways of playing instruments. The public aspecodis,

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<v Speaker 3>truth does not lie. That was the original message of Tenarawen.

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<v Speaker 3>It was a music made to encourage to inform, to

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<v Speaker 3>listen to.

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<v Speaker 2>What music speaks to you the most? What is it?

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<v Speaker 2>You can leave a comment on our website or email

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<v Speaker 2>us at radio at Radio English dot net. You can

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<v Speaker 2>also comment on Facebook at Facebook dot com, slash Spotlight Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>The writer and producer was Dan Chrisman. The voices you

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<v Speaker 1>heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States.

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<v Speaker 1>All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight.

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<v Speaker 1>You can listen to this program again and read it

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<v Speaker 1>on the internet at www dot Radio English. You can

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<v Speaker 1>also get our programs delivered directly to your Android or

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<v Speaker 1>Apple device through our free official Spotlight English app.

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<v Speaker 2>This program is called Africa's Rock and Roll Rebels. We

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<v Speaker 2>hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye,