From 20th century
Niafunké, Niger Delta, Mali
Ali Farka Touré was a Malian musician associated with the arma social class, whose ancestry the excerpt links to Moroccan soldiers who conquered Songhay in 1591. Raised in Niafunké after his family settled there, he became an internationally recognized recording artist, releasing sixteen albums and winning a Grammy Award. His work helped carry traditional West African rhythms into the global music scene.
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The Story
Ali Farka Touré is presented as a member of the arma, a social class descended from Moroccan troops and officers who remained in the region after the conquest of Songhay. Those Moroccan soldiers generally did not return to North Africa. They intermarried with local women, and their descendants continued to form a distinct social class in the Western Sudan.
Born in 1939, Ali received the nickname Farka, meaning “donkey,” a symbol of physical strength and endurance. The name was given because he was the tenth child of his parents but the first to survive beyond childhood. His father was killed while fighting in the French army during World War II, after which the family settled in Niafunké, a Niger Delta town south of Timbuktu.
Ali Farka Touré recorded sixteen albums and won a Grammy Award. After the release of Niafunké in 1999, he toured internationally. He later lived on a farm near Niafunké, where he grew rice and fruit, linking an international musical career with the agricultural life of the Niger Delta.
From 20th century
Niafunké, Niger Delta, Mali
Ali Farka Touré was a Malian musician associated with the arma social class, whose ancestry the excerpt links to Moroccan soldiers who conquered Songhay in 1591. Raised in Niafunké after his family settled there, he became an internationally recognized recording artist, releasing sixteen albums and winning a Grammy Award. His work helped carry traditional West African rhythms into the global music scene.
Continue exploring
The Story
Ali Farka Touré is presented as a member of the arma, a social class descended from Moroccan troops and officers who remained in the region after the conquest of Songhay. Those Moroccan soldiers generally did not return to North Africa. They intermarried with local women, and their descendants continued to form a distinct social class in the Western Sudan.
Born in 1939, Ali received the nickname Farka, meaning “donkey,” a symbol of physical strength and endurance. The name was given because he was the tenth child of his parents but the first to survive beyond childhood. His father was killed while fighting in the French army during World War II, after which the family settled in Niafunké, a Niger Delta town south of Timbuktu.
Ali Farka Touré recorded sixteen albums and won a Grammy Award. After the release of Niafunké in 1999, he toured internationally. He later lived on a farm near Niafunké, where he grew rice and fruit, linking an international musical career with the agricultural life of the Niger Delta.