One day, I was a kid, I was with my father, A radio was playing, someone was singing...

I liked it a lot, it was a love song, but I didn’t even know what love was. Afterwards I asked my father : who's singing that ?
A man from Kayes, he replied. His name is KarKar.

Why KarKar, I asked?
Because he knew how to play football, and KarKar means "break". His dribbling could break through all the players, he could really dribble, so it started like that : KarKar, KarKar, everyone called him KarKar.

Then one day, a friend who said me : Come on, I have a Bambara tape, it’s really good Bambara blues. I went over his house and he put on KarKar’s cassette : The“ resource ” musicians of Mali,
these are old musicians, they could talk to us about the music from 1960, maybe even before that, they know Malian music, they know where Malian music came from, where it’s going, they know.

When you talk to each other,
don’t forget to invoke the name of God.
And if you love God,
don’t forget to invoke His Messenger.
That’s what the prophet said,
the prophet Mohammed.Let us open wide to others,
the doors of our homes,
because death spares no one,
not even the powerful.
That’s what my brother Kalilou said,
that’s what my wife Pierrette said.
I open wide the door to my home to you,
because death spares no one ,
not even the powerful.
If death should spare someone
because he's powerful,
If death should spare someone
because he's well known,,
then my brother Kalilou
would never have left this world,
And my darling Pierrette
never would have left this world.

In the 60’s, he was the first to introduce the twist in Bambara, the Malian language, and waking up, every day, you heard KarKar’s song on Malian radio :
.... get up, get up and work, you know, things like that, anyway, it was a wake-up call to motivate the young to work for independence.

Around 60-62, he disappeared from view, but his music always continued to wake us up on Radio Mali.

Children of an independent Mali,
let us take control of ourselves !
May all young Mali people who have
gone abroad, return to our country.
Children of Mali, Children of Mali...
...all together, let us build our Homeland.Oh Mali, Oh my Homeland,
Glory to Modibo,
revolution, revolution, revolution,

You have to put that in the context of the euphoria of the independence movement. So in 1960 we became independent, And right away there was a catharsis, A kind of collective catharsis
that took place. The young took over a little everywhere, you had to celebrate independence.

KarKar aroused a lot of admiration from his friends, because he was an excellent guitarist, and he really liked to dress up like Elvis Presley, with his leather jackets etc. and that resulted in a lot of
admiration from his friends at the grin. He regretted it a lot when many of them abandoned him later on.

If you go to Kayes,
tell my love that I’m going to send her some cloth,
some cloth made in Mali.

If you go to Kayes, tell my love
to never again fear anything in this world,

because Mali has won its independence.
In villages all over Mali, you'll see
the young people building up the country.
Oh young people of Mali,
Thank you for your work.
Yes, women of Mali, thank you
for all the work you do.

I remember one day, one of KarKar’s friends, he yelled : Hey, Kayes people, come out here and see who’s coming!
It’s the guy who tricked us in 63, he played his guitar and sang to us : Malians, come and build our country ! We came and now we’re all in the shit here,
It’s his fault. He’s the one that did it to us. Then everyone started laughing, KarKar too, saying: listenMaïssa, knock off the bullshit !
But you’re the one who got us in this mess, in 63 you lured us into it, you made us believe that an independent Mali would be a paradise on earth.

So we came and now we’re in the shit, so it’s all your fault. KarKar was the only one who found something, because KarKar was a rocker, He was really influenced by America, influenced by the movies,
We watched rock & roll films because we loved the cinema, If we weren't sitting around chatting, we were at the movie theater. But KarKar knew how to create his own style. All the theaters were showing the films of Bill Haley, “ Rock Around The Clock ”, Little Richard... And what made KarKar so successful, is that he was one of the first to popularize the electric guitar, And to just stand alone with his guitar, playing, singing and stirring up the crowd.

If I remember correctly,
This is where the market used to be.

And there’s the road that
leads to the station and the airport.

Hello, how’s it going ?
And how’s the family doing ?

The Santa Maria grin
used to be in this house

It was the most popular club in Kayes.

Everybody used to come here
To listen to music and have a good time.

If you go to the Santa Maria grin
don’t forget to greet my sweetheart.
I haven’t seen her since this morning,
that girl I would like to see so much
at the Santa Maria.
If you go to the Santa Maria grin,
don’t forget to greet Khadiatou.
Don’t forget to greet Khadiatou
Who I love so much !

I think the grins came into being because of the Socialist regime. The Modibo regime made us aware of nationalism, patriotism, this patriotic Mali fervor comes from that. But in the end,
it became so restrictive, that the people with the same affinities, athletes, musicians, politicians... needed to get in touch with each other, to talk about their different problems, because these were the only places where we could speak freely and openly.

Kar, Kar, Kar,
...when did you get here ?
I arrived the day before yesterday.
We were just talking about you.
Someone told me that
You were in Kayes,
and I didn’t even know it !
Welcome back!
..you abandoned us !
Someone told me
that you got married again?
Yes, I was single for ten years,
but last year I got married again
and we had a baby last month.
A boy or a girl ?
A boy.
His name is Mamadou.
God had made me an old man,
but now I’m a young man again.
That’s destiny.

I had a lot of different jobs before I left for France and I came back to Bamako, a few years ago. What else can I tell you ? Apart from the fact that it’s all part of destiny.Later, the tea helped, because tea wakes you up, There were conversations that would last till 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning. Because of the grins, people went to political gatherings less and less. So, the grins had to be banned to make the people more politically aware.

Oh Great Mali now independent!
Oh it’s so wonderful to live
in our Great Mali !
God has blessed us and granted our wishes,
and our great Mali has become prosperous.

Careful, just leave the referee with his decisions. Just keep your mouth shut.
Careful, don't question the referee.
Just keep your mouth shut.

Around 1964, a number of things happened. the grins were hit hard, KarKar was working, and so he didn’t really have the time to spend on his music. And when he met Pierrette, he kind of settled down. And then he had his family responsibilities. Don’t forget that KarKar was the third son in the family.The eldest was in the Ivory Coast,
The second, Kalilou, was in Cuba studying music, so the role of the head of the family fell on him, because his father was dead. So he gave everything up, put away his guitar and spent years in total silence. In 1980, during my holidays, I came to Kayes.I went to the market to see a friend and I saw Kar behind a little table. He was selling children’s underwear, t-shirts, and other merchandise made in Hong-Kong ! That’s what he was selling. It was a very small table, obviously, he wasn’t someone who could really make ends meet,especially to support a family, it was really very, very difficult. I really felt bad when I saw Kar, I could see that he was really bad off, that he had failed completely. I told KarKar that he should get back into music. He told me he would really like to, but what could he do ? He said he couldn't afford to get back into music.

If you knew how much I love you,
you would have to love me too.
If you knew how much I love you,
you would have to love me too.
Hold me in your arms,
I will sing for you.

Madieye, you remember !
We always played together
at the Club de l’Amicale.
At that time, Kayes was a nice town.
All the young people
would meet at the Club.
.. it was the most lively place in town.
The young people came to dance
on Saturdays and Sundays.

If you knew how much I love you,
you would have to love me too.
If you knew how much I love you,
you would have to love me too.
Hold me in your arms,
I will sing for you.
Hold me in your arms,
I will sing for you.
Hold me in your arms,
I will sing for you.

Pierrette was a beautiful women. Kar said the day Pierrette came to join him, all of Maïna was at the station. We have to be there to see her, see what she's like and so on.. So, Pierrette’s arrival in Maïna was a big party.

Brave and hard-working
are the children of Mali.
The young people of Mali
work long and hard.
Glory to you, young people of Mali !
Don't attack our army, because
our soldiers are brave and courageous.
It is said that King Soundjata
was a brave man.
Let it be known that the soldiers
in his army were also brave.
Oh, children of Mali,
how brave were the soldiers of Soundjata!
Don't fight me!
Don't kill me either!
Because the children of Mali are at work.
Don't fight me!
Because the children of Mali are at work.
Glory to you, men of Mali!

KarKar loved Pierrette a lot. She loved him too. I remember one evening, at their house, Pierrette told me :You know, your friend KarKar, when I married him, he had no money. He had absolutely nothing, but I married him for love. And I think that KarKar loved Pierrette a lot too. Their love was intense, a great love united them.One day, I heard that Pierrette was dead. The news knocked me senseless. I told myself it wasn't possible, I was with her during the holidays, we were joking. What happened? At first, I thought it must have been a traffic accident.
Then afterwards, I found out she died giving birth.Then, I understood KarKar's distress. He's going to be even more fragile, I thought. The only person he had really loved, had just died. And I was afraid for him. And even now, I'm surprised and how stoic he was. I'm surprised he got through this ordeal. Really, I didn't think he would be able to handle Pierrette's death.

Oh Pierrette ! Let it be known,
your name will not disappear.
because i'll sing it all over the world.
A person may die,
but the name live on.
I'll die, of course I'll die,
but my name will live on.
Oh Pierrette !
your name will not disappear.
because i'll sing it all over the world.

Mariama, come back Mariama Kaba !
Come back Mariama !
In the sacred village grove,
a great misfortune has fallen.
A great misfortune.
May God protect us, Mariama !
A great misfortune has fallen
on your son, Mariama.
A great misfortune.
May God protect us, Mariama !

KarKar suffered a great deal. And he believed, rightly or wrongly, that his suffering wasn't natural. He believed that his suffering came from above, the work of a superior Being, from something outside of himself. His traditional culture also reinforced this feeling a little. In traditional Malian society, the bambaras have reputation for fetishizing, And of pushing fetishes to an incredible extent, A lot of people are afraid of the bambaras. But even though KarKar takes part in such activities, It is only to protect himself, as well as his family and career. Because even if Islam condemns fetishism, and the adoration of idols, The African cultural background is there, and inevitably it comes out.

Mothers, Oh Mothers!
These words are for you.
I call on you.
You who give live
to sacrificing priests,
Never shall you be priests,
for you could never take away life.
Mothers, I call on you!
Terrifying are the fetishes
of the nama priests!
Terrifying are the fetishes
of the komo priests!
Mothers, these words are for you.
The sacrificing priests
are born of women.
But a woman could never become a priest,
Mothers, I call on you.
Terrifying are the fetishes
of the nama priests!
Terrifying are the fetishes
of the komo priests!

Islam plays a very important role in KarKar's life. His father was a practicing Muslim, his mother was a practicing Muslim. And so, inevitably, through his parents, and respect of his ancestors, KarKar was destined to be a Muslim. There are two aspects to KarKar's spiritual life. On the one hand, there was this really strong belief in the supernatural, mysticism. And on the other, there was Islam, which restrained certain fervors, and behavior. Islam taught him to renounce vengeance, Islam showed him how to be tolerant, Islam showed him how to accept the people who had abandoned him, Thanks to Islam, he was able to accept Pierrette's death. It's certain that Islam helped Him to get over Pierrette death: So is the will of God. God gave me a woman, and God took her away So, I have to thank God, I must accept His will.

You don't fall in love by accident.
Pierrette, my love, speak to me, my love !
You don't fall in love by accident.
Pierrette my love, take my hand, my love!
Ah my love!

KarKar is a noble, he's the son of a noble, he didn't come from a caste. God wanted him to be an artist and he is an artist, because you can be an artist without being a griot. Kar's not a griot. I'm his griot. I was born a griot, had griot parents. So, we belong to a caste,We're a griot family.

You are the hope and
Support of our family, Traoré.

The griot is close to the leader, It's his spokesman. He's always close to the leader, The leader says everything to the griot. It's his messenger, in other words.

The griots praise you, Traoré.
All teeth grow before the molars.
But only the molars can
grind the heavy bones.
Admire-him! Admire-him!
Praise to you, Traoré. Victorious warrior.
You captured some of your enemies,
...and killed those remaining.
We praise you, Traoré !
Let us love with true love,
those who love us,
Praise to the descendant
of the valiant Touramakan !
Thank you for taking
care of my children.
We praise you, Traoré !
You left your home,
welcome to our home.
Admire him! Admire him!
Praise to you, Traoré. Victorious warrior.
Not all are winners in this saga.
You captured some of your enemies,
...and killed those remaining.
We praise you, Traoré !

In traditional society, even those of noble birth, have the duty, the obligation to support their families by all honest means possible. even if that means doing domestic work,or degrading work or whatever. It must be done.

So, KarKar leaves for France, and he wrote me that he was going to work in construction for a while. And afternoons or evenings, he goes to Mali hostels. At one point, people were saying Karkar was dead. Rumor had it he was dead. And in Mali , people believed the rumor because they had no news. until one day, an English producer heard KarKar's music in England. And he liked it so much, he came to Mali, looking for KarKar. And so, Radio Mali was obliged to announce the news: KarKar is alive. The bush telegraph got the word around until it reached Radio Mali who announced that Karkar was alive. So the people weren't worried any more, Because they knew KarKar was alive.

For you, Uncle KarKar.

Emigrant, even if you are
well off back home
Emigrant, even if
you come from a great family,
Emigrant, even if
you come from a great family,
The people round here know
nothing of your fame and fortune.
The people round here know
nothing of your fame and fortune.

So, the Englishman left for Paris, looking for KarKar. And even when KarKar heard that someone was looking for him, he was so discouraged. that he didn't want to talk to the Englishman.
But his friend talked him round, told him things would work out that his life was back on track. KarKar even took some time before answering,
In the end, he decided to call
And give the Producer his address. They arranged to meet in front of the Metro line. KarKar said to him: If you see someone with a peaked cap, You'll know it's me, KarKar. And that's how they met in Paris.