Tinariwen

Tinariwen is a Tuareg music group from Kidal, Mali, formed in 1982 and active since then. The group is associated with desert blues, folk and traditional pop, and its name means “empty places”, linking it to the desert regions of the southern Sahara. In Tuareg, the name is written as “ⵜⵏⵔⵓⵏ” and is derived from Tamasheq, where “Tenere” means the desert.

Origins and style

The group begins in unusual circumstances for a band. It develops among young Kel Tamashek exiles in the southern Sahara, where they keep performing the traditional music of their Tuareg forebears while also engaging with the political struggles of Tuareg communities. Their early activity takes shape against drought, repression and exile in Mali, with some members seeking support through an uneasy alliance with Libya. That support does not materialise, but the musicians develop a style that preserves older musical forms while carrying political messages.

Tinariwen’s music is known as tishoumaren, the music of the ishumar, or unemployed. This style draws on Tuareg musical traditions while also taking in western rock and other music from the Middle East. It often uses modern instruments in place of older ones such as lutes, flutes and one-string violins, and the electric guitar becomes especially prominent. The group’s sound is spare and haunting, with sung poetry that addresses repression in Mali, exile and Tuareg self-determination.

Musical characteristics

The songs use a range of structures, including call-and-response patterns. Their melodies sometimes use blue-note-like inflections that recall western blues and jazz, set over a steady four-beat rhythm. The group originally records on cassette, at a time when sales and even possession of such recordings carry heavy penalties in Mali and Algeria. Wider access to albums in the early 2000s helps bring the music and its political content to a larger audience.

Albums and members

Its fifth album, Tassili, is released in 2011 and wins the Award for Best World Music Album at the 54th Grammy Awards. Members listed for the group include Ibrahim ag Alhabib, Alhassane ag Touhami, Intayaden Ag Ablil, Wounou wallet Oumar, Elaga ag Hamid, Mina wallet Oumar, Liya Ag Ablil, Alhousseini ag Abdoulahi, Mohamed ag Itlal, Abdallah ag Lamida, Mustapha ag Ahmed, Abdallah ag Alhousseyni, Saïd ag Ayad, Eyadou ag Leche, Kedou Ag Ossad, Mohammed Ag Tahada and Wonou walet Sidat. Earlier accounts also name Bassa Walet Abdoumou among the musicians.