Tiken Jah Fakoly

Born in Odienné, in the northwest of Ivory Coast, Tiken Jah Fakoly has since the late 1980s developed a reggae sung in French, Dioula and English, fed by Jamaican roots, West African rhythms and a writing approach focused on political, social and historical issues. After founding the group Djelys in 1987, Fakoly first makes his mark in West Africa before broadening his trajectory in Europe from the late 1990s. His discography accompanies this progression with Mangercratie (1996), Cours d’histoire (1999), Le Caméléon (2000), then Françafrique (2002) and Coup de gueule (2004), two albums that permanently establish his name on the reggae and Francophone world music stages. Exiled in Mali at the beginning of the 2000s after threats linked to his positions, Fakoly continues his journey between Bamako, Abidjan, Paris and numerous international festivals. L’Africain (2007), African Revolution (2010), Dernier Appel (2014), Racines (2015), Le monde est chaud (2019), Braquage de pouvoir (2022) and Acoustic (2024) show a continuity in substance as in form, between militant reggae, covers of classics and openness to collaborations with U-Roy, Ken Boothe, Soprano, Bernard Lavilliers or Amadou et Mariam.