Formed in Niger during 2004, Etran Finatawa fuses longstanding Arab and African traditions. Its musicians hail from the Tuareg and Wodaabe, both nomadic peoples whose livelihoods center on livestock herding across the southern Sahara. The lineup fluctuates between six and ten players and has featured Alhousseini Mohamed Anivolla, Bammo Agonla, Bagui Bouga, Ghalitane Khamidoune, Zaid Ag Abdoul Jamil and Mamane Tankari. Tuareg performers concentrate on string instruments, ranging from the indigenous violin to acoustic and electric guitar, alongside percussion; the guitar’s arrival gave their style the name “ichumar.” Wodaabe vocalists deliver songs in Fulfulde and Tamasheck, accompany themselves on calabasse drums, and execute a measured, rhythmic dance.
After debuting at a desert music festival in Timbuktu, Mali, the group appeared in Erfoud, Morocco, and embarked on European tours that reached Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland at the World Music Festival, Eire at the World Cultures Festival, and England at WOMAD. An April 2008 North American itinerary took them to California, Illinois, Louisiana and New York. The roster has also included Alhousseini Mohamed Anivolla, Bammo Agnola, Bagui Bouga, Ghalitane Khamidoune, Zaid Ag Abdoul Jamil and Mamane Tankari.
