Rokia traore biography of william

Until January 22, she was held in the Haren prison in Brussels. During these five years, the father, a Belgian citizen, never came to see his child in Mali. He never had any idea of the budget for her food or clothing. Why does this rule apply first, and then why does it seek and find justification in the rules of law, disregarding the rights of the African parent and the child?

The Haren prison imposes a strict visiting regime, and the thousands of kilometers between Bamako and Brussels made the trip expensive—over dollars for a round-trip flight. While she was in high school, Traore sang backup vocals in a rap group. Always interested in poetry, she wrote her own songs and played guitar, developing her minimalist style.

With the exception of early compositions written in French, Traore writes in her native Bamanan language, a poetic, honeyed language best suited for her lilting style. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Traore has stated that "Banaman speaks in images and proverbs. It provides a poetic framework to speak thoughts and ideas. When she was 22, while living with her family in Belgium and studying social sciences at a university, Traore made the difficult decision to return to Mali and live on her own to pursue a professional music career.

Her electric performance there launched her career, and she was subsequently named African Discovery of by Radio France International. At this point Ali Farka Toure, the legendary Malian guitarist called by many the "John Lee Hooker" of West Africa, took Traore under his wing and mentored her singing and guitar playing. Following the successful release of her debut CD, Traore toured extensively in Europe and in her homeland, although at first she had difficulty forming a group of musicians because her role as a female arranger was not initially accepted.

Additionally, her work was viewed with suspicion because Traore was combining traditional West African instruments that had never before been played together. For example, in what has become her stylistic innovation, she frequently mixes the balafon African xylophone with the ngoni African lute and precursor to the American banjo to create a previously never-recorded sound.

Traore told Boston Globe critic Steve Morse, "When I expressed the idea of putting together the ngoni and balafon, the musicians said, 'Come on, they are impossible to tune together. We cannot do music like this. Traore has also incorporated muted percussions that blend well with her voice. Her voice departs dramatically from other Malian griottes such as Kandia Kouyate and Oumou Sangare, whose powerful wailing voices are backed by heavy percussion and amplified electric instruments.

Traore's voice is noted for its rokia traore biography of william, lyrical, rhythmic style and for the personal nature of her songs. Angel Romero wrote in Women's Review of Books that "compared to [Kouyate and Sangare], Traore's sound is pure and passionate, her vocals melodious and accessible, her textures more intricate. CONTENT The author reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality, correctness, completeness or quality of the information provided.

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If any damage occurs by the use of information presented there, only the author of the respective pages might be liable, not the one who has linked to these pages. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. Malian musician born Musical artist. Biography [ edit ]. Recordings [ edit ].

Rokia traore biography of william

Personal life [ edit ]. Musical styles and influences [ edit ]. Performances [ edit ]. Awards [ edit ]. Discography [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Brighton Festival.