Touré Kunda is a Senegalese band, noted for their musical versatility and political activism. Their 40-year career encompasses recordings in over six languages and collaborations with well-known musicians such as

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...

and

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads

. They have had considerable success in Africa and Europe and are active in social causes such as

children's rights Children's rights or the rights of children are a subset of human rights with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to minors.

and advocates for the homeless.

Biography

Born twenty-two days apart in 1950 in Ziguinchor in Casamance, Senegal, Ismaïla and Sixu Tidiane Touré were introduced to music by their elder brother Amadou, a singer and musician. They moved to Paris, France, in 1979 to complete their musical education. They worked their way up in the Parisian scene. The group sings in Soninké, Wolof, Fula, Mandingo,

Diola The Jola or Diola (endonym: Ajamat) are an ethnic group found in Senegal, the Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. Most Jola live in small villages scattered throughout southern Senegal, especially in the Lower Casamance region. The main dialect of the J ...

, and Portuguese creole, reflecting the multilingual mixture of the people of Casamance. Their first album, ''Ismaïla do Sixu,'' was released in 1979. It was followed by ''É'mma Africa'' in 1980 and ''Touré Kunda'' in 1981. In 1985, following the death of their brother and mentor Amadou, Ismael and Sixu Tidiane toured throughout Africa. Upon returning to France, they found considerable success and critical acclaim among the French music press. In 1992, they were invited to play for

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

at the

Courtyard of Human Rights A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary a ...

. In 1999, their album ''Légendes'', a retrospective of their 20-year career, was released. Shortly thereafter, they participated in

's album ''

Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

'' and toured with him. A

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

album, ''Best Of'', was released in 2006. Another album, ''Santhiaba'', came out in 2008. Ismaïla and Sixu Tidiane Touré are members of the sponsoring committee of the United Nations'

Decade for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World The United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Current ...

. On 27 February 2023, Ismaïla died in Paris, France, at the age of 73.

Discography

* 1980: ''É'mma Africa'' * 1981: ''Touré Kunda'' * 1983: ''Amadou Tilo'' * 1984: ''Casamance au clair de lune'' (Toure Kunda - distribution:

Wagram Music Wagram Music is a French independent record company based in Paris, with offices in Berlin and Los Angeles. History The company was founded by Stephan Bourdoiseau and has been active since January 2003. In 2013, Stephan became the majority ...

) * 1984: ''Paris Ziguinchor'' (Live) (Toure Kunda - distribution: Wagram Music) * 1985: ''Natalia'' * 1986: ''Toubab Bi'' (Toure Kunda - distribution: Wagram Music) * 1987: ''Best of Touré Kunda'' (Toure Kunda - distribution: Wagram Music) * 1988: ''Karadindi'' * 1990: ''Salam'' * 1991: ''Sounké'' (Live) * 1992: ''Sili Beto'' * 1996: ''Mouslai'' (Toure Kunda - distribution: Wagram Music) * 1996: ''The Touré Kunda Collection'' (

Putumayo World Music Putumayo World Music is a New Orleans-based record label that specializes in compilations of world music, jazz and blues. History Dan Storper founded Putumayo in 1975 as a retail store in New York City featuring handicrafts from around the wor ...

) * 1999: ''Légende'' (Compilation,

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

) * 2000: ''Terra Saabi'' (Toure Kunda - distribution: Wagram Music) * 2008: ''Santhiaba'' (Toure Kunda - distribution: Wagram Music) * 2018: ''Lambi Golo''

References

Bibliography

* Nathalie Steinberg, ''Touré Kunda'', Paris, Encre, 1985

External links

Official site

Biography at RFI Musique
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Toure Kunda Senegalese musical groups Family musical groups

Biography

Discography

See also

References

Bibliography

External links