Moussa, like so many of your Tuareg brethren, you were also actively involved as a guerrilla at one stage.
Moussa Ag Keyna (vocals & guitar): "Yes, I was a soldier in the war for independence and to relax in the evenings, I started playing music."
The Tuareg struggle for independence isn't that well-known in Europe. Could you situate the conflict for us?
Moussa Ag Keyna: "The problems for the Tuareg really started in the so-called period of decolonisation. The historic territory of the Tuareg is the Sahara desert, but after the colonial era, it was divided up between five different nations: Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Libya and Algeria. To make matters even worse, the Tuareg were hit by a number of consecutive drought spells that decimated their life stock and made their nomadic lifestyle virtually impossible. The governments from the various countries in the region offered little or no help. All of this eventually escalated and an armed conflict was the result. The struggle is focused on the restoration of the Tuareg territory like it always existed until the arrival of the French. The revolution started in 1963 and is still going on to this day."
In some of the nations involved, peace treaties have already been signed. Has this changed the situation on the ground?
Moussa Ag Keyna: "A peace treaty was signed in the region of Kidal in Mali, but in Niger, for example, the problems persist. Their president (Mamadou Tandja, red.) is a hardliner who refuses all negotiations, so in Niger the armed struggle continues."
How are the different Tuareg groups organised? Do you have a centralized government of some sorts?
Moussa Ag Keyna: "We still use the same system that has been in place for centuries. Each group of Touareg has its own chief. Normally the wisest and most intelligent man in the village is elected and it's not a title that can be passed on from father to son. Each family has its chief, then there's the tribal chief, the regional chief and so on. The various chiefs are in contact with one another and that way see to the resolution of common problems."
These days many Tuareg bands, like Tinariwen or yourself, use the electric guitar, an instrument you adopted in the Libyan training camps. What was Tuareg music like before this "electrification"?
Moussa Ag Keyna: "Before the introduction of the electric guitar, we mainly used traditional percussion instruments like the tende (traditional drum made from a mortar covered by a goat skin, red.) and the one-stringed violin (imzad, red.). These instruments were always played by women, because in Tuareg culture men traditionally do not play music. We only discovered the electric guitar in the second half of the seventies when we were living in exile in Libya. The instrument was the ideal excuse for the Tuareg men to have an instrument of their own."
Your music has a strong revolutionary spirit, but seen that most of the songs are sung in your native tongue, it will be hard for western audiences to grasp any of that.
Moussa Ag Keyna: "Of course the message in our music is intended for anyone who wants to listen, but for the Tuareg part of our audience, the content of the songs is just that bit more important. The Tuareg territory covers a vast area and we use our music to pass messages. You have to realize that the Tuareg are a nomadic people and because of that are not always up to speed with what is going on in the rest of the world. To give you an example: when I was little, I believed the entire earth was covered by deserts and the Tuareg were the only people in it! Because music is something that binds us together as a people, I think it's only understandable that our music is directed at our own people. That being said, however, I always try to include a translation of my lyrics in the liner notes accompanying our albums."
The album released by Real World is called 'Ishumar'.
Moussa Ag Keyna: "The word "ishumar" is derived from the French "chômeur" ("unemployed person", red.). When we left Mali and Niger to head for the training camps in Libya, we had to pass through Algeria. There people called us "les chômeurs" and because most Tuareg don't speak French, they mistakenly believed it was the word for "freedom fighter" so they adopted it as an honorary title. For Tuaregs "ishumar" still means "he who revolts"."
You've been living in France now for quite some time but the album is still filled with references to life in the desert.
Moussa Ag Keyna: "Yes, my love for the desert is very profound and because I live in France, nostalgic feelings surface very easily. When I tried to return, I was arrested and detained in Mali and refused entry to Niger. I think my stay in France has influenced my music, though, because I try to stay in touch with what's going on in the world."
Toumast means "identity". In just a few words, what does being Tuareg represent to you?
Moussa Ag Keyna: "It's where my roots are, and a people without knowledge of their history is like a tree without roots. It's a nourishing identity and the reason why I'm still alive today. I only hope that one day we'll be able to live in freedom on the territory that is ours, because above all else, a Tuareg needs his freedom!"