Death of Music in Mali

Plong42

Here is a Washington Post article which may be of interest to some emusers: In northern Mali, music silenced as Islamists drive out artists. The article indicates that a rather strict form of Islam is destroying what was once a vibrant music scene, including emuser favorites Ali Farka Toure and Tinariwen.

That this is happening in Timbuktu.

/edit: “Instead of singing, why don’t they read the Koran? Why don’t they subject themselves to God and pray? We are not only against the musicians in Mali. We are in a struggle against all the musicians of the world.”

elwoodicious

Buying music from Sahelsounds is a direct way to help musicians from Mali.

Germanprof

Anybody have time to summarize the facts from that article and point to he Sahel sounds album for MiG?. Might get them a little more income.

elwoodicious

The main gist is this:

In March, amid a military coup that left the government in disarray, Tuareg rebels who once fought for Libyan autocrat Moammar Gaddafi joined forces with secessionists and Islamists linked to al-Qaeda. They swept through northern Mali, seizing major towns within weeks and effectively splitting this impoverished nation into two. Soon afterward, the Islamists and al-Qaeda militants took control.

They have installed an ultraconservative brand of Islamic law in this moderate Muslim country, reminiscent of Afghanistan’s Taliban and Somalia’s al-Shabab movements. Now, women must wear head-to-toe garments. Smoking, alcohol, videos and any suggestions of Western culture are banned. The new decrees are enforced by public amputations, whippings and executions, prompting more than 400,000 people to flee. The extremists also destroyed tombs and other cultural treasures, saying they were against Islamic principles.

It is reminiscent of what has been seen across the globe where fundamentalism (doesn't matter what religion or political spectrum, fundamentalism is a destructive force) is allowed to take root.

In a telephone interview, one of the Islamists’ top commanders declared that his fighters would continue to target musicians.

“Music is against Islam,” said Oumar Ould Hamaha, the military leader of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, one of the three extremist groups controlling the north. “Instead of singing, why don’t they read the Koran? Why don’t they subject themselves to God and pray? We are not only against the musicians in Mali. We are in a struggle against all the musicians of the world.”

It has created conditions where artists and musicians are being killed or terrorized into silence. Some have fled to the south of the nation but there language and songs are not spoken, sung, or understood, “In Bamako, people don’t understand what we sing,” Toure said. “It really hurts us that we can’t perform. Most of us don’t have jobs. Many of us now rely on our relatives for money.”.

The most recent Sahelsounds album for sale is Songs for the North Country. The label has this to say about funds distribution:

This compilation is a series of recordings taken over the past three years of various musicians, both modern and traditional. It's for sale on sliding scale. Pay what you want. 100% of the proceeds from this album will go directly to the people featured on the album. That's it. There is no bureaucracy - just Bandcamp and me walking down the Moneygram office to send off checks. There is no NGO who will redistribute the funds to everyone, so it wont help everyone. But it will go the musicians on these recordings you're listening to -- all musicians who are currently struggling in the North of Mali or refugees in exile and all who have been directly affected by the events.

Germanprof

Next few days are very full for me - next weekend I might be able to turn that into prose and post as MiG staff - anyone else (including you, elwoodicious) want to do it before then?

Nereffid

Perhaps any such post be titled "Music Is Not Good".

"Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy" - H.L. Mencken.

amclark2

/edit: “Instead of singing, why don’t they read the Koran? Why don’t they subject themselves to God and pray? We are not only against the musicians in Mali. We are in a struggle against all the musicians of the world.”

Instead of beating, torturing and killing people, why don't they read the Koran? Why don't they subject themselves to God and pray?

greg

I hadn't realised the situation was so bad in Mali - so many great artists from there. National boundaries in that part of West Africa are quite artificial, so the main tribes cover several countries - Woloff for example are found in Senegal and Gambia as well as Mali, so I hope it doesn't spread further, but I do know fromn several contacts in The Gambia that there are concerns about the growth of Islamic fundamentalism, supported at government level. But such fundamentalism is not uniquely Islamic - England had a similar, puritanical government during the C17th Civil War whre even celebrating Christmas was banned as being a festive occasion, and many of the original European migrants to the now USA have roots to either Christian fundamentalist groups but also groups escaping Christian fundamentalism. I downloaded Songs fron the North Country last week and hadn't appreciated its significance. I don't think I have even played it yet

Bad Thoughts

I'm disappointed that the article does lay down the blame more squarely on Ansar Dine, which though Tuareg led, is really a another attempt to purify Islam of African influences by groups from the north.

Greg is, of course, correct, that conflict in West Africa tend to supercede national boundaries.

cafreema

I will be purchasing the sahelsounds album this evening, and have posted it, along with the article on Facebook. Hopefully that will get one or two more people to grab it.

Craig

Germanprof

I just FBed both too. As so often, to those who have more is given (e.g. the current Guvera guzzle in our already music-saturated environment) while from those who have not even the little they have is taken away. The world is upside down. The whole thing puts getting CDs for Christmas in perspective.
@amclark2 - nailed it.

choiceweb0pen0

That's a great use of Facebook. Will do that as well.

cafreema

Indeed, GP. I wish I had the time this week to do a MiG article. Not a ton of people would see it, but this rises to the level of even letting one person know what is going on is a small victory.

jonah - Can you tweet the link to the sahelsounds album on the MiG Twitter?

Craig

amclark2

I fb'ed it too; I wonder if there's anyone left out there who hasn't blocked me yet after my spamming?

cafreema

I just asked you to be my friend amclark2, so we can spam each other.

Craig

greg

Greg is, of course, correct, that conflict in West Africa tend to supercede national boundaries.

And for that the blame is really upon British and French rulers from the C18th and 19th, as well as slave traders from an earlier era, including some West African tribes (eg Assanti). I could go into the impact of colonialism (not just political but economic too, so besides Western Europe it includes USA and China). I've recently been reading a fascinating book which I'll put up on the book thread for anyone intersted. And that is without getting involved in religious 'turf wars'

cafreema

Even as a history major at a major university there weren't a lot of options for African history, but I took one class that went into the issues with national borders in Africa. What a mess. Goes to show what happens when someone imposes their view of nationhood on people who rarely look beyond their ethic group or even village.

Craig

amclark2

I tweeted it to all 9 of my followers, and tried to tweet it @ emusic and 17 dots; anybody have access to emusic message boards still? That would get some more reads.

Bad Thoughts

I could give dozens of books on historic and current conflict in West Africa. However, let my offer a work of fiction instead: Maryse Cond

Bad Thoughts

I left a basic message at emusic. Please add anything you want to the thread.

Bad Thoughts

including some West African tribes (eg Assanti)

Slavery could be a different institution than what had been practiced in Europe or what would come about in US, Brazil, Caribbean, etc. Wolof's slaves, while disempowered and dependent, were used as soldiers and bureaucrats. It was the kingdom's means of creating a loyal servant class that could be used to extract goods from the population.

Germanprof

Bought the Sahelsounds album and got this note from the label guy:

"...so far, the album has already raised about $1000, and I've already sent the
first round of payments out. It comes at a much appreciated time where I
get phone calls every day from friends up North..."

NankerP

Thanks for pointing out the Sahelsounds record. Bought and tweeted. I also got the Khaira Arby album off emusic (after having on SFL for ages)

Plong42

I am glad this article generated interest. I too have bought the album and broadcast it to my "social media empire" such as it is.

Thinking about this project reminded my of another sahelsounds project, Music from Saharan Cellphones Volume 2 LP. I had backed this one on kickstarter, but have not received the LP yet. They were hoping for November, but obviously that slipped. There are pics of the test pressing on the kickstarter site, so I guess it will not be long.

cafreema

Plong - Did you not get the backer update? They think the downloads it will be ready to go in the next week or so, and the vinyl by the end of the month.

Craig

Plong42

I must have missed the update. It is listed on my "backed" page, though.

denver

I have a few responses to this that are not yet, if they ever will be, organized into coherence. Just "random notes" then:

The video by Kiss Diouara referred to in the WashPo article: http://youtu.be/KIWvBcfb9IY Not my kind of music, but interesting.

An album on Rdio by Khaira Arby, also in that article: http://rd.io/x/QW5e4DFUPmY Much more my cup of tea. For one track, try Tijani Ascofare.

I wonder how much that Festival In The Desert might have drawn the attention of the fundamentalists? Not that that would justify their actions, but what are the festival organizers doing besides decamping to another country? Are they out front on this issue? Are Plant and Bono doing fundraisers or anything?

I have mixed feelings about the Sahelsounds project. Certainly these musicians are being treated unjustly and deserve support, but is that the best way to spend $1000 or whatever is raised? In Colorado, and I suspect in other states too, the government agency that screens and approves groups that solicit donations from the public do not endorse those that just give money to certain individuals, and for good reason. Besides, the musicians at least have their music and international reputations (such as they are--we're not talking fame on Rihanna's scale here) as resources they can fall back on. Are there people treated just as unjustly or worse who have no such resources? Judging from that Kiss Diouara video I wonder how much of that money will be funneled to men and never make its way to any women, who are probably suffering worst?

I'm not trying to be contrary or difficult, but I'm just thinking about all this.

Germanprof

@denver, all pertinent points - if you see the sahelsounds project as some sort of overall response to the crisis. If on the other hand you see it as simply a selective conduit allowing some of those affected/directly targeted to make headway, and if you think (as I do) that not being able to help everyone should not stand in the way of specific forms of help, it seems a reasonable way of helping some specific individuals for the price of a meal out where I live. In other words, all the limitations you mention are likely true - but with tempered expectations for what it is, I am not sure that invalidates the exercise. (If buying that album were somehow detracting from my direct help to a wider group of people, the case might be different, but the reality is that's the only avenue before me right now and the alternative is probably the money stays in Grand Rapids.) Not disagreeing with the cautions, but I am not sure how much they weigh in the face of large scale immediate need.

denver

It sounds like the overall response, sadly but not surprisingly, will be war. A Google translate page from a Frankfurt paper or magazine: http://bit.ly/Vi4ZGz. Or Germanprof might read it at http://www.fr-online.de/politik/mali-ein-gebeugtes-land,1472596,20961246.html. I came across that while doing a news search for any position Plant or Bono has taken that turned up nothing.

thomnottom

@denver - You seem to have read too much into the mention of the Festival in the Desert. That has been going on for over a decade - it's not like a one time thing that suddenly got the attention of terrorists. And other than Robert Plant performing there in 2003 and Bono dropping by to play with Tinariwen this year, they don't seem to have anything official to do with it. As for what the actual organizers are doing, you can check out the website.

As for helping out the musicians via sahelsounds, I don't really see any names on that album that have big international followings that would help them and, as pointed out in the article, many are having trouble making money since their instruments were destroyed and they were forced to flee to an area without a shared culture/language. I'm not sure how many women will be helped as I don't know the makeup of the groups involved, but sampling it should at least help determine some female singers. But in the end there are no donations being solicited. He is simply making sure that all the money goes directly to the people who earned it and need it.