History

Description

For their third album, Bokanté plugged into the blues, tracing the genre's roots back to West Africa and the Arab world, passing through the diaspora, all the way to today's retro-modern era. These nine tracks speak — with lyrics sung primarily in Guadeloupean Creole — of strangers and seers, of memories and joy; of Black history, global unity, and the futility of war. Of taking the time to rest, to feel, to love. Of the redemptive power of music — as a vector, a catalyst for change, a muse. In history, Bokanté explores other paths, dressing folkloric instruments such as the Arab oud, the West African ngoni, and the North African guembri — the bass lute favored by the Gnawa maalems of Morocco — in Western clothing.