Diversity Stories

On the coldest day of 2021, musician and writer Samira Dainan went to Hoofddorp to meet with Ousmane Ag Mossa, the bandleader of Tamikrest. Named the new legend of Tuareg music, Ousmane speaks on what it means to write music in the solitude of the Saharan desert, while in exile. In this podcast, he speaks on the power and the meaning of his music, and how each song breathes a whole life-world and history. Founded in 2006, in Kidal in Mali, Tamikrest call themselves ‘the children of Ibrahim’, after Ag al Habib, the founder of Tinariwen. In spite of ongoing riots and regional conflicts, which have a gripping effect on their lives, Tamikrest seeks to make music through their Tamasheq poetry and culture: “A desert hosts us, a language unites us, a culture binds us.”   About Samira Dainan:   After finishing her degree in law, Samira’s love for music evoked a long-term research into her Arabic, Berber and African heritage. This brought her to Morocco and the Sahara, where she played and collaborated with local mus