Tinariwen Announces ‘Kel Tinariwen’ Reissue & Shares ‘Arghane Manin’ Single

On November 4, Tuareg musical collective Tinariwen will reissue Kel Tinariwen, an album previously released locally in the group’s home country of Mali on cassette back in 1992, via Wedge. Tinariwen previewed the set by releasing its lead single, “Arghane Manin,” and detailed two other reissues, Aman Iman: Water Is Life and Imidiwan: Companion, due out on vinyl for the first time through Craft Recordings on November 4.

Four Tinariwen members — Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, Hassan Ag Touhami aka ‘Abin Abin,’ Kedou Ag Ossad and Liya Ag Ablil aka ‘Diarra’ — traveled to Abidjan in Ivory Coast in the summer of 1991 to record Kel Tinariwen. The group’s first official release had only been heard by those trading tapes in the local community. Keltoum Sennhauser, the brainchild of the project explains the importance of cassette trading to the Touareg struggle for freedom and self-determination in the following statement:

“I think the cassette played a crucial role as a tool of communication, a tool that was very dear to us. It served to raise awareness and awaken the consciences of those who felt that everything was already lost, or that we didn’t have the wherewithal to win our struggle. It allowed the Touareg world to develop its own conscience and move forward. In our milieu, the only thing that can make us question ourselves is music. Because we listen to a lot of music, we love music, we love poetry. We don’t read. We’re not a people who read. So, the only reading we have, about ourselves and about the outside world, is music.”

The Justin Adams-produced Aman Iman: Water Is Life was initially released in 2007 as the third Tinariwen studio album. Jean-Paul Romann produced the follow-up, Imidiwan: Companions, which came out in 2009. Both arrive on vinyl on November 4.

Stream Kel Tinariwen single “Arghane Manine” below:

Kel Tinariwen Tracklist

1. À L’Histoire
2. Khedou Khedou
3. Adounia Tarha
4. Matadjem Yinmexan
5. Awa Idjan War Infa Iman
6. Sendad Eghlalan
7. Sendad Eghlalan
8. Arghane Manine