Ahmed Ag Kaedy (born 1979) is a Malian guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is the leader of the group Amanar de Kidal. Originally from

Kidal Kidal ( Tuareg Berber: ⴾⴸⵍ, KDL, Kidal) is a town and commune in the desert region of northern Mali. The town lies northeast of Gao and is the capital of the Kidal Cercle and the Kidal Region. The commune has an area of about and incl ...

, he is a member of the nomadic

Tuareg people The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern Al ...

, whose distinct style of rhythm and use of the guitar is often referred to as Tishoumaren, or

desert blues Tishoumaren (ⵜⵉⵛⵓⵎⴰⵔⴻⵏ in Neo-Tifinagh script) or assouf, internationally known as desert blues, is a style of music from the Sahara region of northern and west Africa. Critics describe the music as a fusion of blues and rock mu ...

. He is one of the main characters in the 2016 documentary ''Mali Blues''. Ahmed ag Kaedy in Leipzig in 2022

Biography

As a child, Ag Kaedy had no particular connection to playing music other than the rich musical tradition of his people. As a young man, like many of his peers, he enlisted in the military. Upon returning from Libya, he started his group Amanar in 2007. The band quickly gained fame in the region, playing local festivities and marriages. They won the prize for best new group at the Festival au Desert in 2010, which gave them the opportunity to travel to Europe and start gaining international notability. Ahmed Ag Kaedy and Amanar had regular appearances on Malian national TV. In 2012 the Tuareg rebellion flared up, with strong

Jihadist Jihadism is a neologism which is used in reference to "militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West" and "rooted in political Islam."Compare: Appearing earlier in the Pakistani and Indian media, Wes ...

elements leading to, amongst other things, a prohibition of public performance of music. Under personal threats, Ag Kaedy could no longer work in his home, and was forced into exile, first to

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesBamako Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on t ...

. These trials are also the subject of the ''Mali Blues'' documentary, which "examin sthe threat of radical Islam to music in Mali". He has since toured extensively throughout Africa, Europe and America, spreading his message of peace and advocating for the education of his people. In 2018 he recorded his album ''Akaline Kidal'' in Portland, Oregon. The album, released by

Sahel Sounds Sahel Sounds is an American record label, based in Portland, Oregon which specializes in music from the southern part of the Sahara desert. Details Sahel Sounds was founded by Christopher Kirkley, a self-proclaimed "amateur ethnomusicologist", wh ...

, was Bandcamp Album of the Day on March 8, 2019, and was also featured on NPR. In 2022 he toured with Berlin-based jazz fusion combo Onom Agemo and the Disco Jumpers

References

External links

Amanar page
on Sahel Sounds website {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaedy, Ahmed Ag 1979 births Malian guitarists Living people 21st-century Malian male singers