may-2012

{ MALI’S DESERT ROCKERS }
just deserts
Born from strife, the arid redemption songs of Tinariwen, Mali’s Grammy-winning rebel
rockers, have cast the world in their spell, finds Marie-Noëlle Bauer
Tinariwen are lost. When my call finally goes through to
the desert blues band’s bass guitarist, Eyadou Ag Leche,
he apologises for it being several hours late. Tinariwen,
whose name means ‘deserts’ in their Tamashek-Berber
dialect, have gone hideously astray between their concert venues
in Brussels and Antwerp. We can’t help but chuckle at the irony
of a great nomad like himself – used to negotiating oceans of
dunes in the featureless Sahara – losing his way on the decidedly
tame, tarmac roads of Belgium.
brussels airlines b.spirit! magazine may-jun
{ 26 }
Some waywardness is understandable. Over the past decade,
Tinariwen have played more than 700 concerts around the
world. The 33-year-old Ag Leche likens their gigging to a “desert
caravan that must always move forward, with the audience
deciding where we go, guiding us as if by remote control”.
“We’ve played many gigs here in Belgium,” he adds, “and I’ve
always found that the people here are laid-back, moral and
clearly enjoy a lot of freedom. After our concerts they come to
see us and ask questions about our way of life.”