This week, we're visiting the West African country of Burkina Faso for our Musical World Tour. Known worldwide for the hardworking character of its citizens, rolling savanna landscapes, and beautiful artwork, this country has a lot to offer in terms of music. Here's our brief info dump to as we get ready:
-Capital City: Ouagadougou
-Official Language: French (recognized languages include Mossi, Bissa, Dyula, and Fula)
-Government: Unitary state under a military junta, currently under the leadership of Interim President Ibrahim Traoré and Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachim Kyélem de Tambèla
-The land was proclaimed the Republic of Upper Volta in December 1958, declared its independence from France in August 1960, saw the Upper Voltan coup d'état in January 1966, the Burkina Faso uprising in October 2014, and two Burkinabé coup d'état in January and September 2022
-Land Area: 105,900 square miles (74th largest in the world, with 0.146% of its area being water)
-Population: 21,935,389 estimated as of 2022 (59th most populous in the world)
-Religion: 63.8% Islamic, 26.3% Christian, 9% traditional faiths, 0.9% other or no religious affiliation
-Drive on the right side of the road
Burkina Faso's musical culture is heavily influenced by folk music, with roughly sixty different ethnic groups being represented. Most folk music is recorded in the native language of the artist, while pop music (which is also prominent in the country) is primarily recorded in French. While Burkinabé music is not as widespread as other African countries, it's still important locally, and it's been very fun and interesting to listen to this week. Let's dive in, shall we?
Zaouli coucouba by Adama Dramé (composer unknown)
Adama Dramé is a Burkinabé percussionist. Born in Nouna (179 miles northwest of Ouagadougou), Dramé has released four studio albums since 1985. Zaouli coucouba was originally featured on the 1985 album Africa (Percussion) and is performed on a djembé, a West African drum tuned by ropes in the shape of a goblet and is performed with hands as opposed to sticks or mallets. I know a few percussionists who are well-versed on the djembé, and it made me appreciate this technicality needed to play this piece even more. The song is almost ten minutes long and has a fast tempo with so many rapid hits that it's just super impressive to listen to.
Bark Biga by Alif Naaba (composer unknown)
Noura Kaboré, better known by his stage name Alif Naaba or his nickname The Barefoot Prince, is a Burkinabé singer, songwriter, and musician. Born in 1982 in Koudougou (about 62 miles west of Ouagadougou), Naaba has created Afropop, Afrobeat, folk, and world music throughout his twenty-four year career. He has released four studio albums since 1999, and our spotlight song Bark Biga was originally included on his 2005 album Foo. I really enjoyed this song; it has a very laid back beat and vibe that almost reminded me of the island nations we've covered so far. Naaba has a good singing voice that's very pleasant to listen to, and I highly recommend giving this song a listen. I couldn't find a good translation of the lyrics, but this song (as well as all the others listed in this post) are available to stream on Apple Music.
Taximen by Amadou Balaké (composer unknown)
Amadou Traoré, known better by his stage name Amadou Balaké, was a Burkinabé musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Born in 1944 in Ouahigouya (about 113 miles northwest of Ouagadougou), Balaké was very popular throughout his fifty-two year career as both a solo artist as well as a member of the Senegal-based band Africando. Before his death in 2014, he released nine solo studio albums starting in 1975. Taximen was originally featured on his 1978 album of the same name and ended up going Gold on the Ivory Coast. This song is a lot of fun, and is one of those that you feel compelled to dance to as you listen to it. He primarily sang in Dyula and French, and while I couldn't find a good translation of these lyrics this is one of his French language songs.
Dibayagui by Bil Aka Kora (composer unknown)
Bil Aka Kora is a Burkinabé musician. Born in 1971 in Pô (about 86 miles south of Ouagadougou), Kora is a singer, guitarist, and drummer. He primarily performs in the Djongo genre that hails from southern Burkina Faso in the Kassena language, and he infuses that traditional sound with other genres like jazz, reggae, and the blues. Dibayagui was originally featured on the 2014 album of the same name, and you can really feel the reggae influence on this song. Kora has a nice voice, and while this song is far from a ballad, it feels simultaneously laid-back and energetic.
Une Seule Nuit/Ditanyè by Glocal Orchestra (written by T. Sankara)
Ditanyè (in Mossi), or Une Seule Nuit (One Single Night in French) is the national anthem of Burkina Faso. Adopted in 1984, the lyrics can for sure be attributed to former Burkinabé president and jazz guitarist Thomas Sankara, but whether or not the melody was written by him is still up for debate. The lyrics are available in French, Mossi, and English, which are listed below.
Against the humiliating bondage of a thousand years/Rapacity came from afar to subjugate them for a hundred years/Against the cynical malice in the shape/Of neo-colonialism and its petty localservants/Many gave in and certain others resisted/But the frustrations, the successes, the sweat, the blood/Have fortified our courageous people/And fertilised its heroic struggle/And one single night has drawn together/The history of an entire people/And one single night has launched its triumphal march/Towards the horizon of good fortune/One single night has brought together our people/With all the peoples of the World/In the acquisition of liberty and progress/Motherland or death, we shall conquer
Anta by Maï Lingani (composer unknown)
Maimounata "Maï" Lingani is a Burkinabé singer, songwriter, and dancer. Born in Koudougou, Lingani studied at the National Art Institute of Côte d'Ivoire. She has released one studio album so far, 2013's Mon ti, on which Anta was originally featured. This song has a cool, very swingy swaying beat to it that I liked a lot. Lingani is one of those artists who just sounds like she's having fun as she's recording, making the listening experience that much more enjoyable.
Djôn'Maya by Victor Démé (composer unknown)
Victor Démé was a Burkinabé musician, singer, and songwriter. Born in 1962 in Bob-Dioulasso (about 221 miles southwest of Ouagadougou), Démé was known for his folk sound in the style of his Mandinka heritage as well as blues, and he largely sang in the Dyula language, which is largely spoken throughout Burkina Faso by Mandinka people. Before his death from malaria in 2015, he released three studio albums starting in 2010. Djôn'Maya was originally featured on his 2014 self-titled album, and became not only his most well-known piece but also my favorite song of the week. It has a very blues-like feel to it mixed in with the Dyula lyrics, and I loved both his singing voice and the guitar accompaniment. This is a beautiful piece of music that I encourage you not to miss.
Jakume Te Waraba Bo by Yé Lassina Coulibaly (composer unknown)
Yé Lassina Coulibaly is a Burkinabé composer, performer, percussionist, and music therapist. Born in 1966, Coulibaly has albums both as a solo artist and as one half of a duo with French musician André Serre-Milan. Like Adama Dramé, Coulibaly is a talented djembé player, as can easily be heard on Jakume Te Waraba Bo that was originally featured on the 2001 album Djembé. As much as I liked Dramé's piece, I may like Coulibaly's even more. Being myself a vocalist and knowing next to nothing about percussion, I sometimes struggle with percussion-only music, but this song I liked quite a lot.
I hope you found some really great new music to check out today from these talented artists. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!
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