For the past two and a half years, Tinariwen, the best known of a set of guitar-based bands from the northeastern section of Mali, has been continually on the road, performing across Europe and North America. Their Anglo-American following is drawn by the sounds of the guitars and assumptions about the cultural histories those sounds carry with them. Their music sounds like the blues created by Black Americans, and therefore contemporary rock fans assume that the struggles experienced by the Tuareg are akin to Black Americans’ struggles for freedom. The actual on the ground situation in Mali is vastly different, however, with complex interethnic conflicts and multiple warring parties contributing to the uniqueness of this social context. This talk will address the misrecognition at the heart of the Anglo-American reception of Tinariwen.
