'LIVE IN LONDON' DVD OUT IN SEPTEMBER
Tinariwen's storming performance at London's Shepherds Bush Empire last December will soon be available for the world to see thanks to the global release of 'Live in London', Tinariwen's first live DVD which is due out in September on Independiente and affiliated labels. The 11 live tracks, sung by Ibrahim and Abdallah, include anthemic favourites such as 'Matadjem Yinmixan', 'Amassakoul 'n' Tenere' and 'Cler Achel', all brilliantly captured by London's Phoenix Film and TV Productions.
The live show is accompanied by a host of exciting bonus features, including an in-depth and revealing interview with Tinariwen's founder Ibrahim 'Abaraybone', in which he recounts his own childhood and youth as an exile in Algeria and Libya. Added to that there are interviews with Justin Adams, Tinariwen's producer who also supervised the music on this DVD, a mini Tinariwen documentary and bassist Eyadou's lightning guide to how to put on a 'shesh' or Touareg turban.
The DVD is a joint production by Independiente, The Africa Channel and Phoenix. Click here to download a preview clip of the DVD.
KIDAL - IS NO NEWS GOOD NEWS?
Thankfully, for the time being, the news headlines emanating from northern Mali have reverted to usual 'peacetime' subjects: desertification, corruption, the continuing exploitation of oil, uranium, and gas reserves, cannabis, opium and people trafficking, the worsening burden of globalisation on the nomad and the late but good rains. Troubled times indeed... but at least the open conflict that raged between Ibrahim Bahanga's rebel Touareg militia and the Malian army in the spring has been absent from the headlines for the past month or so. But whilst Algeria continues to mediate the intermittent talks between the Touareg rebels and the Algerian government, Bahanga shows no signs of compromise or surrender. Just before going to press, on 16 August, the mainstream ADC rebel group released 21 of the 92 hostages held by Bahanga, into the custody of the army.
Meanwhile Malian President ATT and his senior political and military advisors are said to be biding their time whilst the mud lakes and impassable roads left by the rainy season dry up, before making their next move. The Malian government still continue to declare that they will not consider any solution to the Touareg conflict outside the terms of the Algiers accords, signed back in June 2006. Algeria and Libya continue to play prominent, and often divergent roles in the conflict. Bahanga remains defiant.
In neighbouring Niger, despite president Mamadou Tanja's declaration of willingness to talk to the Touareg rebel movement, the MNJ, the conflict that has brought civilian and commercial life to a standstill for over a year in the northern desert regions continues to rage. On 8 August, an MNJ unit attacked the army post at Tchiherozine in northern Niger and escaped with a quantity of arms. Meanwhile the Niger government and army continue to react to the MNJ's actions by attacking civilians and imprisoning journalists without charge.
For more news and views from the southern Sahara:
www.kidal.info
www.temoust.org
www.tuaregcultureandnews.blogspot.com
www.m-n-j.blogspot.com
AL JAZEERA REPORTS FROM NORTHERN MALI AND NIGER
Earlier this year Al Jazeera TV sent a team headed by journalist May Ying-Welsh to northern Niger and Mali to report on the rebellion and other important issues. The result is a fascinating series of news shorts. May Ying-Welsh is currently working on a longer 22-minute documentary covering the entire trip, which will feature an interview with Ibrahim from Tinariwen.
Click on the following categories to view Al Jazeera's online southern Sahara reports so far: Nomad Army, Desertification, Uranium, Human Cost
, Education.
TINARIWEN WIN PRAETORIUS MUSIC PRIZE
Tinariwen have been awarded the Praetorius 'Internationaler Friedensmusikpreis' by the regional government of Lower Saxony in Germany. This new prize category is intended for persons or groups who have made a special contribution to society through music. Tinariwen will be receiving the award and performing a song at a special prize-giving ceremony at the State Opera House in Hanover on 22 August.
TINARIWEN ON THE AFRICA CHANNEL
The Africa Channel, the world's leading cable channel specialising in African affairs and culture, has teamed up with Independiente and Phoenix Film and Television Productions to produce Tinariwen forthcoming 'Live in London' DVD. The Africa Channel will be airing the live show and a specially edited Tinariwen documentary on their satellite channel in the USA, UK and other territories this autumn. For more details go to their website at www.theafricachannel.com.
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TINARIWEN SHOP AND SAHARAN ARTS NOW ONLINE
Tinariwen have opened an online shop to sell t-shirts, music and books. Tour t-shirts and jackets from 2007 and 2008 are now available in different sizes. A growing selection of books, CDs and DVDs will appear in the coming months. The shop's affiliate site Saharan Arts will sell the best in Touareg silver jewellery, traditional clothing and crafts.
18 MONTHS OF TOURING WILL END ON 29 AUGUST
Tinariwen will end a gruelling 18 months of touring on 29 August, with an appearance at Ireland's prestigious Electric Picnic festival, where they will play on the same stage as Sigur Ros and My Bloody Valentine. The latest leg of the tour, which began in April this year, has taken them to some eccentric locations, including Damascus in Syria and the Reunion Islands in the Indian Ocean. The band will take a well-deserved rest in September, October and November which is traditionally considered to be a 'holiday' period in their desert homeland thanks to the presence (hopefully!) of lush fresh pastures for the herds, following the rains of July and August.
TINARIWEN & TUNNG SET FOR RADIO 3 SESSION
Abdallah and Eyadou from Tinariwen are booked to record a session with English electro-folk-style-busters Tunng in London at the end of August as part of BBC Radio 3 season of inspired musical pairings. A transmission date has not yet been set. Check out the BBC Radio 3 website in early September for more details.
TERAKAFT: EX-TINARIWEN MEMBERS RELEASE NEW CD
The legendary Kedou Ag Ossad, aka 'Hiwaj', and Liya Ag Abili, aka 'Diara', both crucial figures in the Tinariwen story in the 1980s and 1990s, have formed a new group called Terakaft (The Caravan). French label Tapsit
has just released the group's second album 'Akh Issudar', a title which underlines the group's deep ties with Tinariwen. The words 'akh issudar' mean 'milk is survival' in Tamashek and form the second part of the famous Touareg proverb 'Aman Iman, Akh Issudar' or 'Water is life, milk is survival'. Terakaft, comprising Kedou, Diara and the talented young guitarist Sanou Ag Ahmed, performed a late night set at this year's WOMAD Festival and have been touring Europe throughout the summer.
'ISHUMAR': A NEW COMPILATION OF TOUAREG MUSIC OUT NOW ON REAKTION
The innovative French label Reaktion have released a compilation of modern Touareg music entitled 'Ishumar: Musique Touarègue de Resistance'. The compilation offers an invaluable overview of Touareg guitar music, inspired by the rebel attitude of the 'ishumar' generation. It features hitherto unreleased tracks by Terakaft, Hamid Ekawel, Japonais, Tinariwen, Toumast and Tamikrest, as well as a superb short history of the Touareg struggle by anthropologist Nadia Belalimat. Click here for more details.
NEW WEBSITE DEDICATED TO TOUAREG MUSIC
Sedryk, graphic designer, founder of the Reaktion label, and tireless promoter of Touareg music has set up a new website at www.tamasheq.net, aimed at covering Touareg music and culture with more depth and dedication than ever before. The site includes news, interviews, biogs, discographies, playlists, blogs and web-radio. It's a well-conceived and superbly designed illustration of the fact that there's a lot more than Tinariwen, Tartit, Toumast and Desert Rebel out there in the Tamashek music arena.
THE ROAD AHEAD
In September the members of Tinariwen will go back to their homes in Kidal, Tamanrasset and Tessalit for a very well-deserved rest. Current and very definitely changeable plans are to record a new album in the desert in January and February, with extra sessions and mixing in Europe in March 2009. A tour of Australia, Japan and the USA is being set up for April. The new album will hopefully be released worldwide in September and Tinariwen will be back in Europe, refreshed and invigorated, for a new tour sometime in October or November 2009. All... inshallah!!.... of course!
TINARIWEN WEB LINKS
Follow the links below for further, and regularly updated, information on Tinariwen.
Official - MySpace - Facebook
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