Malian singer songwriter Rokia Traoré’s “Roots” project emerged as a continuation of the Desdemona multimedia collaboration she contributed to in 2011. Written by American novelist and 1993 Nobel Prize laureate Toni Morrison and staged by experimental theatre director Peter Sellars, Desdemona is a play imagining a dialogue between Othello’s wife Desdemona and Barbary, the African nurse and former slave looking after her. It was Sellars who commissioned the Malian artist to write music and songs for the play. Backed by three musicians (on the kora, ngoni and bolon) and three chorus singer, Rokia Traoré performed the songs on stage as Barbary.
Photo credit: Christophe Goussart – Fondation Passerelle
The range of Ms. Traoré’s performance as Barbary — her rich and mesmerizing voice, regal bearing and fluid movement — has enchanted critics. New York Times
Retaining the exact same line-up of three musicians and three chorus singers, the artist toured her “Roots” project in 2011 and 2012 as a limited series of acoustic concerts. Singing some of her own songs and covering a selection of older and contemporary African songs, the project works as an homage to Malian music, African music and Pan-Africanism. The attached clip is a selection of the first two songs of the project:
- Titati (comp. Bako Dagnon) – 00’05’’
- Africa Unite (Bob Marley) – 05’10’’
A modern take on traditional African singing and instrumentation, the sheer visual and musical elegance of the performance is simply mesmerising.
Is beautiful! Can anyone tell me the lyrics of Titati? Thank you very much!
An English translation is available in the YouTube comments.
I wish this was true but it is not. There is no English translation of the Lyrics of Titati as covered by Rokia Traore. The only lyrics to be found are those of Titati covered by Bako Dagnon and they are in the language of Bambara, as follows…
“Titati
Ye ne miri ile le ma
Cheri ne ye miri ile le ma
Ko laban bali la kanou mandi ye
Tita tita tiiii
Lahila Lahila la titati
Eh lahila lahila lalalaaaa
Alalou tolo ma don ala
Ne be na titati kouma fo doni
Alalou tola mado ala djeli Backo be na titati
Aah lahilala kan’i ta i doussou fai
Mo ti konoro kouma baih ban fo la
Ko di tii (titatiii)
Mousso ye wala diyayè tchie fai
Tchieba ye tala diyayè mousso ko
Titati (titati)
Ahh lahilala dja dali magni deh
Ni koun na kanou taih
A doun guailaiman
Son te n’diyana mo la
Allah le djon diyala djon ye
Tita titatiiii
Allah la kogno mousso kadi baih ye
Magnon koura kadi baih ye
Kogno mousso mairainai tigui ko kadi ne ye ooh
Kogno douman n’ye
Koun sigui ko dali babouna ko kadi n’ye
Mousso gnouman ko kadi n’ye
Tchie kissai ko dougou djè sira ko kadi ne ye ooh
Kogno mousso ko kadi ne ye
A ko kadi ne ye
A ko kadi ne ye ooh
Ma chérie dali magni deh
Kogno ti yailai na
Kogno mouso i ti yailai ne la wa
Kogno i ti yailai na
Kogno mouso i ti yailai ne la wa
Kogno ti yailai ne la
Ti yailai ne la
Ti yailai ne la
Wallahi deli magni ooh
Alou ye n’naini na e le fai
Ni baih ye diyayè ro
Alou ye n’gochi la e le fai
Ni baih ye diyayè ro
Alou ye n’makouna ile le fai
Ni baih ye diyayè ro
Mousso ye siki la diyayè tchie le fai
I te si … la koun
N’anw li ki di diyayè mogo ma
Wa e be siki o koun titati
N’anw li ki di goya la mogo ma
e te siki o koun
Ça vas pas
Sabourou bara tignè…
kaou gnogon de ro
Ki kana diarabi kouma fo n’ye
N’ya lon diarabi kosson
Ki gnè koumoun
Sinogo te se kaih la
Mogo te se la li yairaima
Sabourou bara n’tignai (titatii)
Nalou man di diyayè tchie ma
Wa m’bi wa koun fai (titati)
Bolokouroun gnai ba le mogo ma soumaya la
Djourou fo deli magni de Allah
Saiguain magni deh
Djeli Bako yairai ko saiguain magni deh
Saiguain bara bi lou tiguai mogo la
Te se kouma la a ma souma len be tôrô tôtô
Ala ta sakona ko chi kaih là ka massaro saiguain wii
Lahilala dja dali magni deh
Wallahi dja dali magni deh
Ni koun na kanou taih
A doun guailaiman
Son te n’diya gnè mogo là
Allah le djon diya là djon ye Ti (Titatii)”