Tinariwen – a little from them, of who they are

The Tuareg people (also Tuwareg, Twareg, Amazigh, Imuhagh and Itargiyen) are a Berber nomadic pastoral people living primarily in the Saharan desert regions of North Africa.   Their self-names are: Kel Tamasheq or Kel Tamajaq- which points to their identity-names through language as opposed to race and ethnicity which is done today.

Most of the people in North African nations today, live as these heritages but of course, some have been urbanized and assimilated.  The splits between various kinds of ‘urban’ and various kinds of rural and nomadic and/or settled life cultures within these groups also inform the way states can divide and conquer to further erode the cultures in favor of state control and assimilation.  There are tribes who still resist the state today, of course.  The Tinariwen group is the most famous of today’s resistance movements done through the display and expression of the their cultural history and traditions and their political/cultural plight in the world of nation-states today.

Tinariwen….more

Aaaah….Tinariwen. One of my favorite music groups. They are of the Touareg people who are one of the people that make up much of the peoples of North African nations today.