Kel Assouf

Kel Assouf

Kel Assouf is a Brussels-based group active since 2006, led by Nigerien singer and guitarist Aboubacar “Anana” Harouna. The project combines desert blues with desert rock, and its lineup includes Olivier Penu, Sofyann Ben Youssef, Esinam Dogbatse, Anana Harouna and Toulou Kiki. It is described as a Belgian/Nigerian group with a sound rooted in the Sahara.

Background and style

Harouna arrives in Brussels in 2005 and draws on the city’s cultural diversity to update his desert blues. The music incorporates reggae, Afrobeat and touches of salsa alongside its core Sahara-based sound. The group’s membership reflects a wide range of backgrounds, including musicians from Mauritania, Ghana, France, Mali and Algeria, and its work carries themes of peace, unity and solidarity between people and cultures.

Name and first release

The name Kel Assouf is given as meaning “son of the desert”, “son of the infinite” and “son of solitude”. The group’s first album, Tin Hinana, is titled after an ancient Tuareg queen. It is tied to Harouna’s aim of revitalising Tuareg culture and giving its story a place in Tifinagh, the Tuareg script.

Political and cultural themes

Harouna links the guitar to the Tuareg struggle for rights, describing it as an instrument that helps people stand up for themselves. He also presents it as a tool for awareness and for supporting economic and cultural development in the region.