Speaker 1: Welcome to Spotlight Advanced. I'm Andrew Davis and.
Speaker 2: I'm Alice Irrazari. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting.
Speaker 2: It is easier for people to understand no matter where
Speaker 2: in the world they live.
Speaker 1: Since the beginning, rock and roll was all about rebellion.
Speaker 1: The styles, electric instruments and loud music seemed frightening to
Speaker 1: older listeners, but to young people these new sounds were welcome.
Speaker 1: They expressed their dissatisfaction. It gave them something to dance to.
Speaker 2: But for one group of musicians, this rebellion was more
Speaker 2: real than most. The group of musicians is called Tinariwen.
Speaker 2: Formed in nineteen seventy nine, Its members fought for their people,
Speaker 2: both in song and in reality. Together they even created
Speaker 2: a new form of music. Today's spotlight is on Tenariwen.
Speaker 1: Tenariwen is a group of musicians from northern Africa. They
Speaker 1: are Tuareg. The Tuareg people are nomadic, without a single home. Instead,
Speaker 1: they travel from place to place herding sheep and other animals. Traditionally,
Speaker 1: the Tuareg people had no nation. The Sahara Desert was
Speaker 1: their home. They traveled wherever the desert was without restriction.
Speaker 2: This changed in the nineteen sixties, France ruled much of
Speaker 2: northern Africa, but in the nineteen sixties they gave power
Speaker 2: back to the native peoples. They created different countries like Libya, Algeria, Mali, Niger,
Speaker 2: and Burkina Fasso.
Speaker 1: This was a positive change for many people living in
Speaker 1: these countries, but the Tuareg often traveled between these countries.
Speaker 1: These new countries restricted their traditional way of life. Many
Speaker 1: Tuareg felt like they had no power. In nineteen sixty three,
Speaker 1: Tuareg in Mali rebelled against their government. They tried to
Speaker 1: create their own country.
Speaker 2: This rebellion failed. The government of Mali killed many Tuareg fighters.
Speaker 2: Ibrahim ag al Haabib is one of the founding members
Speaker 2: of Tinariwen. His father was a rebel fighter. In nineteen
Speaker 2: sixty three, he watched as his father was executed for
Speaker 2: being part of the rebellion. He grew up in refugee
Speaker 2: camps without a home or work.
Speaker 1: The first members of tinari Win met many years later,
Speaker 1: but they shared similar experiences. The problems and pains of
Speaker 1: the Tuareg people are at the heart of their music.
Speaker 1: Abdallah ag al Hussini is one of the first members
Speaker 1: of tinari Win. He spoke to the Quietas about their music.
Speaker 3: Our message is connected to the things we love and
Speaker 3: care for. It is about the desert which is our home.
Speaker 3: It is about these people who are our family. We
Speaker 3: want the world to know of their beauty and the originality.
Speaker 3: We want to talk about all the problems that are
Speaker 3: threatened them every day.
Speaker 2: At first, the members of tinari Win played traditional tuaregg music,
Speaker 2: and they did not think of themselves as a musical group.
Speaker 2: They did not even have a name. The people who
Speaker 2: listen to them them Tenari when this means the desert boys.
Speaker 2: Ayad agh Leche plays the bass guitar, a low sounding
Speaker 2: instrument with Tenari when he spoke to the Kwaidas about
Speaker 2: those early days.
Speaker 4: This was not a band in the sense of your
Speaker 4: definition of a band in Europe. It was an open
Speaker 4: family of writers and musicians. They performed only for their friends,
Speaker 4: and later they performed for traditional marriage ceremonies and parties.
Speaker 1: But Western music also influenced tinari when soon many members
Speaker 1: of the band traded their instruments for electric guitars. These
Speaker 1: stringed instruments define modern rock music. In the nineteen eighties,
Speaker 1: the band discovered Western musicians like Jimi Hendrix, led Zeppelin
Speaker 1: and B. B. King. Tenari Ween combined this music with
Speaker 1: their own. The result was a special sound that brings
Speaker 1: to mind the desert and its people.
Speaker 2: Tinariwen soon grew popular among the Twareg people. But the
Speaker 2: band were not just musicians. They were also soldiers. Muammar
Speaker 2: al Kadafi was the ruler of Libya in nineteen eighty,
Speaker 2: he invited Twareg men to train with his army. Many
Speaker 2: in Tenariwen accepted. In Libya, they learned to use guns
Speaker 2: to defend themselves. But it was also here that their
Speaker 2: music became more political. Their music spoke about creating a
Speaker 2: new Twareg country. It spoke about having pride in their people,
Speaker 2: though many had lost their way of life.
Speaker 1: Then, in nineteen ninety war came to Mali. Tuareg rebel
Speaker 1: fighters attacked government buildings. These fighters demanded a separate government
Speaker 1: for a new nation. They protested there was no place
Speaker 1: for them in Mali's government. They were also dissatisfied because
Speaker 1: of a drought. A drought is a time with little rain.
Speaker 1: It caused poverty and starvation among the Tuareg.
Speaker 2: For six months. Some members of Tinariwen joined the rebellion.
Speaker 2: When the fighting ended, Twareg in Mali had more power.
Speaker 2: Fighting between different groups continued over the years, but since
Speaker 2: then they devoted their lives only to making music. In
Speaker 2: two thousand and one, they released their first record for
Speaker 2: international audiences. They called it the Radio Tistas Sessions.
Speaker 1: Kiotistas Sessions launched tenaru Ween's career. Since then, they have
Speaker 1: played shows all over the world. They released a total
Speaker 1: of nine collections of songs. The Grammy Awards are awards
Speaker 1: presented by the Recording Academy of the United States. The
Speaker 1: awards are given every year for excellent music recordings. They
Speaker 1: have chosen tenari Ween three times. One collection of songs, Tassili,
Speaker 1: won the award for Best World Music album.
Speaker 2: Sadly, Tenariwin's success did not mean peace in their countries.
Speaker 2: In twenty twelve, Twareg rebels attacked government buildings in Mali.
Speaker 2: They drove Malian forces from the northeastern part of the country.
Speaker 2: They tried to create a new country called Azawad, but
Speaker 2: this rebellion quickly changed extreme Misted Islamist terrorists attacked the
Speaker 2: Tuareg forces. They took over the same area. These forces
Speaker 2: targeted to Nariwen's music, they called it music of the Devil.
Speaker 1: Since that time, Tinariwen has been unable to return to Mali,
Speaker 1: but the group continues to be the voice of the
Speaker 1: Tuareg people. They speak about the beauty of being with
Speaker 1: friends under the open sky. They speak about a longing
Speaker 1: for the traditional way, but they also speak about a
Speaker 1: longing for peace. Tanari Ween is a voice that translates
Speaker 1: more than music. They speak to the soul. Abdallah ag
Speaker 1: al Hussini spoke to Panafricanmusic dot com. He said, our.
Speaker 3: Music is based on a well thought out message. Many
Speaker 3: people understand it through our way of singing. They understand
Speaker 3: it in our ways of playing instruments. The public aspecodis,
Speaker 3: truth does not lie. That was the original message of Tenarawen.
Speaker 3: It was a music made to encourage to inform, to
Speaker 3: listen to.
Speaker 2: What music speaks to you the most? What is it?
Speaker 2: You can leave a comment on our website or email
Speaker 2: us at radio at Radio English dot net. You can
Speaker 2: also comment on Facebook at Facebook dot com, slash Spotlight Radio.
Speaker 1: The writer and producer was Dan Chrisman. The voices you
Speaker 1: heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States.
Speaker 1: All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight.
Speaker 1: You can listen to this program again and read it
Speaker 1: on the internet at www dot Radio English. You can
Speaker 1: also get our programs delivered directly to your Android or
Speaker 1: Apple device through our free official Spotlight English app.
Speaker 2: This program is called Africa's Rock and Roll Rebels. We
Speaker 2: hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye,