In the fall of 2012, a fundamentalist group called Ansar Dine imposed a decree on the northern Mali city of Gao, the Guardian reported, stating, “We don’t want the music of Satan. Ag Alhabib told producer Ian Brennan in a 2012 interview published in Guitar Player magazine that he was inspired by Western cowboy movies to make his first guitars, fashioned by gasoline cans, pieces of wood and rusty wire.Īnd in terms of standing up to Islamic extremism, Tinariwen’s bona fides are unmatched. Having witnessed the execution of his father as a 4-year-old during the 1963 Tuareg uprising against the Mali government, Ag Alhabib grew up in refugee camps in Algeria. In terms of sheer badass bootstrapping, any Clint Eastwood or Johnny Cash-loving Three Percenter militia activist would be hard pressed to find a more inspirational figure than Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, the founder of Tinariwen. Stars/ of heaven,/ To know how/ to find water in/ The unlikeliest of places,/Īnd enlist the momentum/ of the wind/ To help you forward.” New goatskin,/ watertight,/ To find your way/ by the light/ Of the four bright Me/ of anything better/ Than to have your friends/ and your mount,/ And a brand Sung in the Tamishek language, the lyrics translate as, “Ténére, can you tell Harley-riding members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans Mechanized Cavalry. The lyrics to “Sastanaqqam,” on Tinariwen’s Presentation is particularly provocative, religious or suggestive of aĬhallenge to American nativism. All at once it evokes both a hot desert wind and the relief that one might seek from searing, dry heat, befitting a group of Tuareg musicians, part of a nomadic group spread across the vast expanse of the Sahara Desert in parts of Mali, Algeria and Niger. Mixing electric guitars with traditional north African percussion instruments, Tinariwen’s music conveys a kind of minimalism and stoicism that strips away all superfluous gestures or flourishes. The headline of a 2007 article at captures the awe that many first-time listeners experience when first encountering Tinariwen: “Enter sandmen: Is Tinariwen the greatest band on earth?” Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, Emmett suggested that perhaps Tinariwen’sĭetractors should take their cues from some of rock music’s universally Noting that the group has opened for the Rolling Stones and collaborated with Joked that if the Ramkat is still around in 15 years, 500 people will beīy the irony that Tinariwen, of all groups, is the target of the backlash. Tal National, a popularĮnsemble from Niger, drew a crowd of 200 people, and Tennille said he’s heardįrom several patrons that it was their favorite show. Ramkat and a music-industry veteran, said the venue has booked four Africanīands over the course of its 18-month existence. “It was surprising, threatening and downright sad.” Run in Greensboro, Emmett said he can’t recall any reaction remotely like the The programming committee for the National Folk Festival during its three-year Latin America - at the Blue Ridge Music Center near Galax, Va. Ramkat, has been operating venues and booking music in the region for decades.įrom booking the Sierra Leone Refugee All-Stars “many years ago” to showcasingĬhe Apalache - a group that expresses a distinct viewpoint on migration from “Go home maybe your country will like your music.” “Desert rats in Winston-Salem, NC! Hope they all have green cards!” “Probably not, but if you’re Democrat, who cares? Just let them all in.” “And take the fucking towels off your heads, or go the hell home.” Um no way.”Īpparently picking up on a theme from President Trump’s July 14 tweet calling on four progressive congresswomen of color to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came,” a new wave of comments unspooled. Plague of the world.” Another wrote, “Look like terrorists to me. Wearing traditional north African robes and turbans, a commenter from Archdale,
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