Rokia-Traoré - a certain art expression critic
Rokia-Traoré-Projet-Roots-au-104
Definitely one of the prominent voices of Malian traditional musical art of the past three decades. For some she can be compared to a Oumou Sangaré, whose style is based in the Wassolo tradition or also a Habib Koïta who is quiet eclectic and conversant in the Northern traditional music of the country as an Ethnic Sonraï. However, those two as far more international and considered icons of Malian music, on par with the world renown Salif Keita of the previous generation.
My mother who is currently visiting for the holidays shared with me that “Rokia’s father was an ambassador in Europe. And that growing up she had to hide in order to play music, since she began as a small child to manifest her love for music”. Educated folks in that context typically looked at entertainment as not a serious career and even degrading. They don’t conform to traditional transmission of skills, and have learned to laud the benefits of Western education instead. “She might have started university but then dropped out in order to pursue her love for music.
She remained in Europe where she is famous and married to a European which causes her to be discriminated against by some Malians, who have become less tolerant and overbearingly conservatists in their traditional and religious views. Her original instrument is the “Gunsoun Bala”, a sort hand held instrument which is original of her region of Kolokani in Mali, the same as my father’s as ethnic Bambaras”.
The first song is a romantic ballad explaining the sweetness of love in which a lover warns her mate about its intoxicating powers as well as its pernicious effects.
The second one can be considered integrative, eclectic, world music type, and a more popular presentation. That said, reggae music in particular Bob Marley and the old classics such as Black Uhuru were amongst the most consumed music in Mali by the youths when I was born in the late 60's, aside from the well and widely adopted Afro-Cubans, and a very little dose of James Brown, Boney M, Africa Banbaataa, etc. ... But overall from that generation and beyond, Bob Marley is a legend! That affinity always remains.
Her style and production is conform to tradition with the conservative use of the Cora (the string instrument played by her band). It is not drawn amongst Western instruments and isn’t there just for visual effects, but as the basis. Also, the particular grace in the dance movements sets it apart from the usual more acrobatic, rooting and earth grounding drum rhythm dancing which even though very authentic and more traditional is also considered easier to sell to foreign audience, as it is more interactive and folkloric.
