Since 2012, approximately 250,000 people have fled northern Mali to Mauritania, fleeing violence and atrocities committed against civilians by the Malian Army (FAMA) and the Afrika Korps (formerly the Wagner Group). According to UNHCR data, almost 150,000 refugees are housed in the M'Bera camp in Mauritania alone.
Many of these refugees come from the Timbuktu region of Mali, including young musicians from the band Assof An Dawna, who appear in the music video for Tamikrest's new song "Imanin" (My Soul).
"Imanin" is the second single from Tamikrest's upcoming album Assikel - out on May 15th. A powerful and important song driven by raw guitars, hypnotic rhythms and trance-like energy. Mixing Saharan rock with elements of psychedelia, the song deliberately encompasses both tension and resilience.
Through the song's lyrics, the band expresses a deep sense of displacement, loss and longing - reflecting the reality of many people from the Kel Tamashek people of northern Mali, many of whom have been forced to flee their homeland:
Tamikrest - Imanin, photo: YT printscreen
"Oh my soul... what can I do in the face of this pain,
No escape, no refuge,
Which follows me like a shadow
From my first breaths as a child."
Most of the video was recorded in the Hod El Shargui region of Mauritania, especially in the aforementioned M'Bera refugee camp, as well as in the Tinzaouaten refugee camp on the border of Algeria and Mali. Footage from these camps is extremely rare and offers a unique insight into the daily life and conditions faced by displaced communities.
The iconic Saharan rock band, Tamikrest, was founded in 2006 by Ousmane Ag Mossa, Cheikh Ag Tiglia and Aghaly Ag Mohamedine in Tinzawaten, on the border between Algeria and Mali. Inspired by the musical heritage of Tinariwen and driven by the desire to amplify the oppressed voice of the Kel Tamasheq (Tuareg) people, the group quickly made their mark.
Tamicrest group members announce that the video for "Imanin" is "a tribute to the refugees and the continuous struggle of the people of Kel Tamashek".
