Tinariwen deliver songs of hope from a homeland in crisis

Tinariwen on war, exile and the power of Tuareg music Sun 14 Jun 2026 at 6:25am Tinariwen are not just another rock band. The connection to their music, and to each other, transcends words. When you hear the sprawling West African ensemble in full flight, you're experiencing songs of protest, songs of love, and songs of hope, and a musical tradition that has survived despite consistent attempts to silence it. The group are a collective of Tuareg musicians — a nomadic people from the Sahara — many of whom came of age during periods of rebellion and exile. Soon after coming together in 1979, they became a staple of weddings and celebrations across the Sahara, their blend of indigenous music with guitar-heavy rock'n'roll appealing to the new generation of Tuareg. Authorities knew it was powerful too. Secular music has been restricted in various ways throughout Tinariwen's career, even outright banned in their home of Northern Mali during the 2012 occupation by Islamist militant group Ansar el Dine. Because, in times of displacement and conflict, music's greatest power is unleashed. Sometimes that's via a call to action, sometimes it's just through reassuring people that there are better times ahead. On Amidinim Ehaf Solan, the opening track of their new album Hoggar, Tinariwen's Touhami Ag Alhassane dreams of better times for his country and his people. "My friend, I beg of you, go gently," his lyrics translate to. "We still have a country, albeit thirsty and in pain, but it will turn green again and grow new branches. There will be shade again, and beneath it we'll take our rest. "An old woman and a boy came by here to implore you to come together and unite, all of you, without exception." This song of hope and optimism sadly doesn't reflect reality. "Honestly, I'm not really positive about the future of our people," founding guitarist and vocalist Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni tells Double J. "There are moments of joy, but there isn't much hope at the moment." Perhaps most heartbreaking is that they're used to it. The members of Tinariwen have faced persecution their entire lives. Violent extremism has too often shaped life in their homeland, including right now. "The Malian army is the biggest threat to us, the Tuaregs from the north of the country," Ag Alhousseyni explains of the situation now. "With the help of Russian mercenaries, they attack civilians, slaughter cattle, poison wells, etc. It has become too dangerous for us to stay in the Kidal region, so we all fled to southern Algeria." With a little help from their friends The band specifically found themselves in Tamanrasset, the capital of the Hoggar region the album is named for, to make their latest album. "It's the first time in a very long time that we've recorded close to our homes," Ag Alhousseyni says. "That felt great, with friends and family stopping by every day. It's just a bit harder to stay focused." Inviting guests to collaborate is a big part of Tinariwen's way of working. While western music fans will recognise the hushed but heartwarming tenor of Sweden's José González, the local musicians who jump on board are just as compelling. "Because the recording was in Tamanrasset, there was this idea of reuniting several generations of Tuareg musicians," Ag Alhousseyni explains. "Old Tinariwen members like Diarra and Wonou, who we hadn't played with in years, and younger musicians such as Sadam, Hicham and Haibalah from Imahran." Hoggar marks the first time Tinariwen have recorded with former member Liya "Diarra" Ag Ablil, a longstanding icon of Tamasheq music, in two decades. "Diarra is one of the founders of Tinariwen," Ag Alhousseyni says. "He left the band to start his own group, Terakaft. Since he lives in Timiaouine now, it just made sense to invite him for this reunion album." They slipped back into a shared musical language with ease, Diarra's guitar lines feeling perfectly at home on each of the six tracks he plays on. "It felt very natural," Ag Alhousseyni says. "There's a long history between us, so working together again was easy and emotional at the same time." Hoggar also includes a deeply resonant reinterpretation of the Sudanese song Sagherat Assani — "a song that is very important to me," Ag Alhousseyni says — featuring guest vocals from Sudanese singer Sulafa Elyas, one of a few women who appear on Hoggar. While the core membership of Tinariwen is all male, the music they make is more inspired by women. "It was important for us to include female singers on this album," Ag Alhousseyni says. "The majority of the music we play today is inspired by traditional Tuareg music played by women. The tinde [percussion] and the imzad [one-string fiddle] were instruments traditionally played by women. "However, for several reasons, very few Tuareg women play music nowadays, so we want to promote that and perhaps inspire new women to feel confident and legitimate in making music." For their safety, many Tuareg women have been forced to take on a settled lifestyle, a monumental shift from their traditional nomadic way of life. "In the current climate, there aren't many opportunities for Tuareg women," Ag Alhousseyni says. "Climate change and political instability have forced many into sedentarisation, which has had a big impact on their lifestyle compared to before, when they were more nomadic. Some of the musical traditions were lost during that process." Sharing the power This music carries significant cultural weight. It functions as oral history, cultural preservation, and a form of social glue that helps these itinerant and sometimes displaced people find community. When the very act of performing it is rebellion, that makes it all the more vital. When asked what he wants audiences to take away from this music, Ag Alhousseyni's hopes are humble. "I want them to feel the original, true sound of Tamasheq music," he says. He also hopes an interest in this music will lead to a greater understanding of the other cultural contributions of his people. "Tamasheq culture has a lot to offer: poetry, music, craftsmanship …" he says. The band's influence is undeniable. Tamasheq acts like Mdou Moctar, Bombino, Etran de L'Aïr are now globally renowned and spend much of their time at festivals and venues in Europe, the US and here in Australia. "It's amazing to see other Tuareg bands touring and sharing our culture with the world," he says. "Tuareg music is really becoming something global now. People on every continent know about our culture thanks to them." But Ag Alhousseyni says he's seen interest in the kind of music he plays dwindle in recent years, as young audiences gravitate towards modern genres like Amapiano and Afrobeats. "I think there was a growing interest in West African music from Western countries in the 2000s, but not as much today," he says. "It still travels, for example Vieux Farka Touré recently put out an album with Khruangbin. Fatoumata Diawara and Oumou Sangaré tour worldwide. But South African and Nigerian music are more popular today." Ag Alhousseyni says Australian fans should stay tuned to hear about the band's return to Australia: they were last here in 2024 for shows at Vivid, Rising and Dark Mofo. "What we enjoy most is meeting Indigenous people, the Aboriginal communities, with whom we share common experiences," he says of past Australian visits. While their travels through western countries have not always been without controversy — a 2019 American tour saw the band targeted with violent and racist threats — he says the reception they receive makes the challenge of touring all worthwhile. "Wherever we go, we find friendly faces now," he says. "We feel very privileged to have travelled this much over 25 years and to have had the opportunity to meet all those fans and artists. They have been very influential." For a band shaped by exile, that exchange is essential. Tinariwen's new album Hoggar is out now.