Tiken Jah Fakoly
Saturday, June 16, 2012
8:00 PM

Cross Cultural Exchange presentations focus on music artists or projects representing diverse cultures that may be U.S. or internationally-based.  Many of the artists presented will represent cultural communities in Harlem and Upper Manhattan, such as artists from/of Dominican, Puerto Rican, Senegalese, Ivorian and Malian cultural heritage.

Tiken Jah Fakoly

Born into a griot family in the Ivory Coast, Tiken Jah Fakoly has always used his music as a vehicle to speak out against the social injustices and oppression in his native country as well as other parts of Africa. He discovered reggae at an early age, assembling his first group, Djelys, in 1987. Concerned by the social and political evolution of his country, it was not long before Mr. Fakoly was writing incisive works on the political environment in Côte d'Ivoire. Most famously, his song recounting the death of Côte d'Ivoire’s first president of Félix Houphouët-Boigny elevated him to popularity among thousands of African youth. He became well-known at a regional level, and soon his music and his reputation stretched across the nation, eventually spreading beyond its borders and, in 1998, Fakoly made his first international appearance in Paris. Soon after that, he solidified himself as certified star, building a huge fan base throughout Europe and Africa. As a result of his outspoken criticism of the government in his native country, Mr. Fakoly was forced into exile in neighboring Mali and now spends time in France as well. Also, in December, 2007, he was declared persona non grata in Senegal after criticizing the Senegalese president and calling for democracy.

Tiken Jah Fakoly’s Apollo debut is particularly poignant given all of the changes in West Africa recently, particularly with the political crisis in Mali, where he currently lives in exile. Fakoly says he is looking forward to his Apollo show because he will have a chance to enlighten American audiences as to what is happening in Western Africa.

Visit his website at www.tikenjah.net.

Cross Cultural Exchange is made possible in part by Metlife Foundation.