Tiken Jah Fakoly
Reggae music is
not just music, it's inspirational, sharp, and comforting that
seeks justice for the downtrodden masses or the underprivileged.
Even though the music originated from Jamaica, there have been great African reggae stars such as the late Lucky Dube, Alpha Blondy, Ras Kimono, Majek Fashek, etc. One of these upcoming reggae musicians that are gradually making it to international stardom is the Ivorian Tiken Jah Fakoly.Tiken Jah Fakoly was born Doumbia Moussa Fakoly on June 23, 1968, in Odienne, north-western part of the Ivory Coast. Like most of the reggae musicians, he discovered his talent while very young, forming his first group, Djelys, in 1987.
Concerned by the social and political evolution of his country, Tiken was writing incisive works on the political environment in his country, expressing his works in music to wake up the awareness of the masses.
In 1998, Fakoly made his first international appearance in Paris. He has played a number of songs, including his version of "Africain a Paris" a song originally played by Sting.
"An Englishman in New York". Shinehead, the Jamaican reggae star also played his version, "Jamaican in New York". Fakoly's tenth album is called the "African Revolution."
In November 2010, the Ivorian reggae star, based in Bamako, Mali, undertook a two-year international tour tagged "One concert, one school" to raise funds to build schools in Africa.
Middle of this year amongst several African and French artists, Fakoly held an 'African Week' in France, marked with concerts, film screening, and book presentations.