- Afel Bocoum
Afel Bocoum (born 1955) is a musician from
Mali , noted as a singer and guitarist. He began his career as a member ofAli Farka Toure 's groupASCO , and Toure is often regarded as his mentor. Both men come from the town ofNiafunke on theRiver Niger , and are members of theSonrai people. Bocoum is an agricultural advisor by profession.Musical style
His group, Alkibar (the name means 'messenger of the great river' in Sonrai) consists of two acoustic
guitar s, anjarka (a one-string fiddle), anjurkle (a kind oflute ),calabash anddjembe percussion, and two female singers as well as male singers in the choruses. Bocoum is the lead vocalist. Bocoum uses music as a medium of communication, commenting on contemporary Malian society, e.g., "if you betray one woman, you betray all women" (Yarabitala), "we live in a crazy world with no respect; tomorrow we’ll be judged by our children" (Salamm aleikum), "parents, do not force your daughters to marry; a home will never flourish without true love" (Mali woymoyo).Most of his singing is done in Sonrai, his native language, but also in Tamasheq (the language of the
Tuareg ) and in Peul (the language of the Fula people). Bocoum's father was a musician and was noted locally for his ability to play the njarka and njurkel, which he employed to play music at weddings. Bocoum used to accompany his father to the weddings and there learnt the songs of these galarare style of music. He retained his preference for acoustic overelectric guitar , and the use of traditional instruments. As well as the Malian musicians he grew up with, Bocoum citesJorge Benjor ,Mamadou Doumbia ,Salif Keita ,John Lee Hooker , andMongo Santamaria as his musical influences.Career history
In 1968, at the age of thirteen, he joined the group of guitarist Ali Farka Toure and singer
Harber Maiga as an apprentice. It was Maiga who taught Bocoum to sing and to write songs until his death on23 March 1983 . Bocoum's first solo performance came in 1968 at a musical competition inMopti . He was well received by the public. In 1972 he performed in front of 3000 people at Mali's secondBiennale inBamako , which was held every two years from 1970 to 1990, whenMusa Traore was overthrown. TheBambara people were dominant in Malian affairs at that time and because of his Sonraiethnicity , Bocoum was only awarded second prize.He left the Niafunke group in 1975 when he won a scholarship to an agricultural college in
M'Pessoba , near Koutiala in the southeast of the country. After three years of study he began working inDjenné , before returning to his home town, and the group, in 1980. In 1982 he was invited to join theOrchestre Diaba Regional fromTimbuktu . In the early 1980s he formed Alkibar, and influenced by his knowledge of agriculture, used their music to communicate with people about water andirrigation .His debut album, Alikibar, was recorded in an abandoned school near Niafunke over the course of six days - the same session and location where the Ali Farka Toure's Niafunke was recorded. In fact, Ali Farka and Bocoum appeared on each other's albums. Bocoum and Ali Farka's record producer believed that transporting the group to a recording studio overseas would diminish the quality of the music.
In 2002 Bocoum collaborated with the Blur singer
Damon Albarn on the successful "Mali Music " album, and the two played together in concerts inLondon andDenmark .In 2006, Afel Bocoum and his band, Alkibar, released their second full-length album Niger on the Belgian label
Contre-Jour . The sounds of Niger rely heavily on the traditional instrumentsnjarka andnjurkel , which give this collection of new materials a more traditional, and distinctively different quality from their excellent Western debut, Alkibar. Niger opens with a heartfelt and stirring tribute to his late mentor,Ali Farka Toure .Partial discography
* Alkibar, 1999
* Mali Music, 2002 (with other artists)
* Featured on Savane byAli Farka Touré , 2006
* Niger, 2006ee also
*
Music of Mali External links
* [http://www.rfimusique.com/musiqueen/articles/078/article_7752.asp 2006 Interview]
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