Koudede - "Alam'i"

Featured on the Putumayo collection "African Blues." Originally released on April 24th, 2012. From the liner notes: Born in Agadez, Niger, a dusty city nestled in the Sahara Desert, Koudede is part of the seemingly bottomless oasis of talented musicians hailing from Northern Africa’s Tuareg community. Along with Tinariwen, Bombino, Tamikrest and many others who have gained international fame, Koudede performs soulful, guitar-driven music with a blues tinge that would sound as at home in a Mississippi juke joint as it does amid the dunes of the Sahara. Traditionally a nomadic culture, the Tuareg have struggled to adapt to modern political and economic pressures. Their recent history has been marked by regular warfare and efforts to reclaim their traditional territories, independence and way of life. On “Alam’i” (My Camel), Koudede sings of an animal that has come to symbolize the Tuareg culture. “I travel on my camel / My camel takes me around the world / The desert kills those that love it / I am a traveler child / My camel is my guide.”