Ahmed Ag Kaedy
{{short description|Malian guitarist, singer and songwriter (born 1979)}}
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, he is a member of the nomadic Tuareg people, whose distinct style of rhythm and use of the guitar is often referred to as Tishoumaren, or desert blues. He is one of the main characters in the 2016 documentary Mali Blues.{{cite news |newspaper=Songlines |url=https://www.songlines.co.uk/review/orion-congregation |accessdate=6 August 2021 |title=Review: Orion Congregation |first=Asher |last=Breuer-Weil |date=November 2018}}
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.{{cite news |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/for-malis-tuareg-music-speaks-of-suffering-and-the-sahara |first=Monica |last=Villamizar |accessdate=August 6, 2021 |date=10 April 2018 |title=For Mali's Tuareg, music speaks of suffering and the Sahara |publisher=PBS}}
Upon returning from Libya, he started his group Amanar in 2007. The band quickly gained fame in the region,{{Cite journal|last=Marchal|first=Roland|date=2018|title=Politique africaine N-149: Radicalisations, science et politique|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9cOnDwAAQBAJ&q=musiciens+mali+amanar&pg=PA130|journal=Politique Africaine|volume=149|pages=130|isbn=9782811125455|via=Google Books}} 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.{{Cite book|title=La diversité des patrimoines: Du rejet du discours à l'éloge des pratiques|last=Moisa|first=Daniela|publisher=PUQ|year=2015|isbn=978-2760543867|location=|pages=}}
In 2012 the Tuareg rebellion flared up, with strong Jihadist elements leading to, amongst other things, a prohibition of public performance of music. Under personal threats,{{Cite book|title=Music, Culture and Conflict in Mali|last=Morgan|first=Andy|publisher=Freemuse|year=2013|isbn=978-8798816379|location=|pages=52}} Ag Kaedy could no longer work in his home,{{Cite web|url=https://www.lepoint.fr/culture/mali-la-musique-a-l-epreuve-de-la-crise-27-05-2015-1931373_3.php|title=Mali : la musique à l'épreuve de la crise|last=Faivre|first=Agnès|date=2015-05-27|website=Le Point|language=fr|access-date=2019-11-20}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/29/movies/mali-blues-review.html|title=Mali Blues Film Review|last=|first=|date=29 June 2017|website=New York Times|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|last1=Kenny|first1=Glenn}} and was forced into exile, first to Niger and later to Bamako.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wweek.com/music/2019/02/28/ahmed-ag-kaedy-was-exiled-from-mali-for-playing-music-so-he-recorded-his-album-in-portland-instead/|title=Ahmed Ag Kaedy Was Exiled from Mali for Playing Music. So He Recorded His Album in Portland Instead}} These trials are also the subject of the Mali Blues documentary, which "examin[es] the 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/fr/les-petits-fr%C3%A8res-de-tinariwen/a-17379636|title=Les petits frères de Tinariwen {{!}} DW {{!}} 17.02.2014|website=DW.COM|language=fr-FR|access-date=2019-11-20}}
In 2018 he recorded his album Akaline Kidal in Portland, Oregon.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wweek.com/music/2019/02/28/ahmed-ag-kaedy-was-exiled-from-mali-for-playing-music-so-he-recorded-his-album-in-portland-instead/|title=Ahmed Ag Kaedy Was Exiled from Mali for Playing Music. So He Recorded His Album in Portland Instead}} The album, released by Sahel Sounds, was Bandcamp Album of the Day on March 8, 2019,{{Cite web|url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/album-of-the-day/ahmed-ag-kaedy-akaline-kidal-review|title = Album of the Day: Ahmed Ag Kaedy, "Akaline Kidal"|date = 8 March 2019}} and was also featured on NPR.{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/artists/711366010/ahmed-ag-kaedy|title = Ahmed Ag Kaedy| website=NPR }}
In 2022 he toured with Berlin-based jazz fusion combo Onom Agemo and the Disco Jumpers{{cite web | url=https://rausgegangen.de/events/onom-agemo-and-the-disco-jumpers-feat-ahmed-ag-kaedy-common--0/ | title=Onom Agemo and the Disco Jumpers feat. Ahmed Ag Kaedy – Common Stars }}{{cite web | url=https://www.lonam.de/verlosung-ahmed-ag-kaedy-mit-onom-agemo-the-disco-jumpers-live-erleben/ | title=Verlosung: Ahmed Ag Kaedy mit Onom Agemo & the Disco Jumpers live erleben! | date=17 June 2022 }}
References
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External links
- [https://sahelsounds.com/artists/amanar/ Amanar page] on Sahel Sounds website
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