Edition 43: Summer 2008

Standing up for inter-ethnic harmony in Africa, Etran Finatawa present a compelling message to the continent, says Emma Gregg.

When a small group of musicians from a little-known corner of landlocked Niger came together to form Etran Finatawa, they sparked a fascinating inter-cultural collaboration. Half the band are Tuareg, the other half Wodaabe. Their name, which means ‘the stars of tradition’, celebrates the parallel heritage of these two desert peoples – both of which have a rich nomadic culture – while their music weaves together recognisable elements from each.

Their partnership is an image-maker’s dream – Tuaregs with electric guitars slung over their floor-length robes and Wodaabe singers with painted faces and feathered turbans make a devastatingly photogenic combination – but it’s also highly symbolic, representing the peaceful cooperation of two quite distinct cultures.

In a first-class follow-up to their 2006 debut, their smoothly produced new album, Desert Crossroads, is an easy-going escape into the uncluttered rhythms of desert blues: perfect travelling music, with an irresistible momentum. It also offers a rare glimpse into the concerns of 21st-century nomads, with songs touching on the beauty and fragility of the Sahel. These days, the band spend as much time overseas and in Niamey, their capital, as they do deep in the desert; their songs are full of yearning nostalgia. Punctuating the album are three ‘tea ceremony’ interludes, while at its heart is a poignant ‘soundscape’ in which a herdsman calls to his flock. Like so many other communities, the Turaeg and Wodaabe are concerned that the price of progress is the erosion of traditions such as these.

As guitarist and singer Alhousseini Mohamed Anivolla puts it: “We don’t understand it when you say ‘rich’ and ‘poor’. For us the riches are the animals in our herds; our riches are our traditions that give us the values that we have lived by for generations.”

Desert Crossroads by Etran Finatawa is out now on Riverboat Records.