‘The killers I met in jail didn’t scare me’: singer Rokia Traoré on why prison was ‘a privilege’
After serving time in Paris, Rome and Brussels, the Malian star is ready to perform again – and planning a book and a stage show about her fellow inmates and her own prison experiences
‘It’s been like a kind of military training,” says Rokia Traoré of the nine months she has just spent in European prisons. “It was very hard. I was in a bad psychological state because I was separated from my children, but at the same time it was a kind of privilege because I was learning things it’s not possible to learn without being in that situation. Everything is much more intense. Sharing a small space with someone – in a week you know more about them than their mother. You know everything: when she is happy, when she cries, when she goes to the toilet, when she has a shower. You see everything.”
Born and based in Mali, she is one of the most inventive and adventurous female artists in Africa; a singer who can switch from delicate acoustic styles to rock, powered by her bluesy electric guitar work. As well as putting out six studio albums she has toured the UK with the Africa Express project, collaborating with Damon Albarn, Paul McCartney and John Paul Jones. She has been an actor, performing, singing and writing the songs for Desdemona, a 2011 Toni Morrison-penned stage project in which Shakespeare’s tragic heroine was given an African perspective. She has won awards including the French equivalent of a Grammy, and in 2015 she was appointed a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Continue reading...
Read more at The Guardian
Topics
-
Killing Me Softly singer Roberta Flack dies aged 88
The star's other hits included The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and Feel Like Makin' Love.BBC News - 2d -
I Teach at Harvard. Store Managers See Me as a Threat.
Maybe I just wanted to be seen as something other than a threat, a nuisance, because I happen to be Black.The New York Times - 2d -
I feared brain surgery could make me forget my fiance
A devastating side effect made Weronkia Somerville lose 14 years of her life, and then she discovered she had to go through it again.BBC News - 13h -
Roberta Flack, timeless R&B singer who made 'Killing Me Softly With His Song' a hit, dies at 88
Roberta Flack, the R&B singer behind the landmark hits 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' and 'Killing Me Softly With His Song,' has died. She was 88.Los Angeles Times - 2d -
Roberta Flack, Grammy-winning singer of 'Killing Me Softly With His Song,' dies at 88
Grammy award-winning singer Roberta Flack, who crooned hits like “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” which was covered by The Fugees with Lauryn HIll, has died. She was 88.NBC News - 2d -
Roberta Flack, Virtuoso Singer-Pianist Behind ‘Killing Me Softly,’ Dies at 88
With majestic anthems like “Killing Me Softly” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” Ms. Flack, a former schoolteacher, became one of the most widely heard artists of the 1970s.The New York Times - 1d -
‘They forced me to stand for hours in the cold, arms raised and shackled’: eight Gaza doctors on their Israeli prison ordeal
Senior doctors and surgeons describe the torture, starvation, humiliation and denial of medical care they endured while being held without charge. More than 160 Gazan medics held in Israeli ...The Guardian - 14h -
Mets' $765 million superstar Juan Soto gifted his teammate a $92,000 car: 'I just appreciate [him]'
Soto will earn $61 million more than Brett Baty this season.CNBC - 4d -
'I think our pitching is going to surprise people': Can the Mets' rotation quiet the critics again?
The Mets opted for short-term deals and risks for their starting rotation again. And, like last season, there are questions.ESPN - 1d -
‘Stock markets today are just about as risky as I have ever seen’: Elliott’s Paul Singer gives rare interview
“The state of stock markets today are just about as risky as I have ever seen,’ says billionaire investor Paul Singer, in a rare interviewMarketWatch - 1h -
My partner and I argue constantly – and she puts all the blame on me | Ask Annalisa Barbieri
It’s very rare that one individual is wholly responsible for the difficulties in a relationship. Perhaps you should go to counselling alone, where you can be heard. • Every week Annalisa Barbieri ...The Guardian - 5d -
‘The bot asked me four times a day how I was feeling’: is tracking everything actually good for us?
Gathering data used to be a fringe pursuit of Silicon Valley nerds. Now we’re all at it, recording everything from menstrual cycles and mobility to toothbrushing and time spent in daylight. Is this ...The Guardian - 4d -
Fatboy Slim: ‘I was in the same class as Keir Starmer – he’s one up on me now’
The electronic producer and DJ Norman Cook talks about learning the violin with Keir Starmer, his love for his label maker and crossing swords with Moby. Get our weekend culture and lifestyle ...The Guardian - 4d -
I was displaced from my home in Gaza — now Trump wants me gone for good
Even if Trump doesn’t order American soldiers to occupy and expel us, as he first said he would, he has effectively given Israel approval to do so.The Hill - 3d -
For too long, my wheelchair reminded me of what I’d lost. Then I saw it as liberating
When my rheumatoid arthritis became more aggressive, I clung to the idea of still being a ‘walking person’. Letting go of that gave me more freedom than I could have imagined. It started like any ...The Guardian - 12h -
‘I forgive the girl and boy for what they’ve done. If I didn’t, the hate would eat away at me’: Esther Ghey on life after the murder of her daughter Brianna
Transgender teenager Brianna Ghey was stabbed to death by two 15-year-olds. The killers had been radicalised on the dark web, while the victim was trapped in an online world of her own. Now her ...The Guardian - 4d -
Eddie Kadi: ‘People think I’m always ready to crack jokes. If you’re a doctor, I don’t ask you to operate on me!’
The standup and presenter on preshow prayers, blending dance with comedy and the night he bombed at the BBC. How did you get into comedy? I feel like comedy got into me. At university, I hosted ...The Guardian - 1d -
‘She acted as a mother to me growing up’: My stepmother remarried after my father died. How can I claim my inheritance?
“Her intention is to bequeath her properties and investments to her current new husband.”MarketWatch - 1d -
Dodgers' Miller has no fracture after liner scare
One day after he was struck in the head by a line drive, Dodgers pitcher Bobby Miller has no fracture and is in "good spirits," according to manager Dave Roberts.ESPN - 4d -
De'Vondre Campbell not revealing why he quit on 49ers: 'I know the truth and don’t care to clear anything up'
Campbell left the team's Week 15 game and did not return.Yahoo Sports - 4d -
'I want to get the truth out there' - 14-year-old Southport survivor on why she is speaking now
A teenager who survived the Southport attack has told the BBC she wants to speak out to get "the truth out there".BBC News - 2d -
I’m 50, earn $172K a year and married, yet I’m still living paycheck-to-paycheck. My family want me to return home. What should I do?
“I have a $154,800 401(k) and a house worth $453,900 with $323,400 on the mortgage.”MarketWatch - 9h -
The disturbing internet history of a triple killer
Websites visited and videos posted by Nicholas Prosper show some alarming obsessions.BBC News - 19h -
My husband and I have been married for 18 years. We share a son — and my husband has a daughter. Why should they get an equal inheritance?
“This year she got married, and I was completely left out of any planning, bridal-shower and wedding activities.”MarketWatch - 4d -
California family leaves the US, scared of potential ICE raid
A California family, fearful of immigration raids, has decided to pick up their lives and leave the United States.ABC News - 5d -
South Carolina killer chooses death by firing squad
Only three inmates in the U.S. have been executed by firing squad since 1976, with the last execution in 2010.CBS News - 5d -
5 Deal Killers When Selling Your Business
Selling to a private equity firm can be a lucrative outcome, but only if you have your ducks in a row.Inc. - 1h -
Actor jailed for raping schoolgirl he was tutoring
Alexander Westwood, who appeared in Netflix series Sex Education, is described as predatory.BBC News - 1d -
Accused UnitedHealthcare CEO killer to appear in New York court
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is expected to appear in a New York courtroom on Friday. The 26-year-old is charged with first degree murder. ...CBS News - 5d -
The Papers: 'Ukraine peace in weeks' and 'killer planned school shooting'
Several of Tuesday's papers focus on Donald Trump's comments on seeking a deal to end the war in Ukraine.BBC News - 1d -
MP Mike Amesbury jailed for 10 weeks after assault
Sentencing may trigger first by-election under Labour governmentFinancial Times - 2d -
MP Mike Amesbury jailed for 10 weeks for punching constituent in street
The MP was suspended by Labour after a video emerged showing him punching a man to the ground.BBC News - 2d -
MP Amesbury urged to quit Commons as it emerges he will be paid while in jail
The Runcorn and Helsby MP was jailed by magistrates on Monday after he admitted the assault.BBC News - 1d -
Undocumented immigrants who fail to join registry threatened with jail time, fines
The move applies to immigrants over the age of 13 who are in the U.S. unlawfully and who have not submitted fingerprints or registered with the federal government.CBS News - 18h -
Religious sect parents jailed over death of diabetic daughter
Elizabeth Struhs was denied insulin by her parents, who believed God would heal her.BBC News - 10h -
'Real Housewives of Potomac's' Karen Huger sentenced to a year in jail for DUI
A Maryland judge on Wednesday sentenced “Real Housewives of Potomac” star Karen Huger to a year behind bars, 11 months after she got drunk and crashed her Maserati into a street sign.NBC News - 2h -
Football hooligan Met detective gets banning order
Arsenal fan Det Con Gordon Irikefe threw a flare into a crowd and chanted about a tragedy.BBC News - 2d -
Israel delays release of Palestinian prisoners
Yahoo News - 3d -
Sutton's predictions v singer Bradley Simpson
BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton takes on singer and Newcastle fan Bradley Simpson with his predictions for this weekend's Premier League fixtures.BBC News - 6d
More from The Guardian
-
Trump says US will not make Ukraine security guarantees ‘beyond very much’ and Kyiv can ‘forget about’ joining Nato – live
Trump also announced Zelenskyy would visit the White House on Friday to sign the mineral deal . The Kremlin said on Wednesday that expert level talks between the US and Russia were being prepared. ...The Guardian - 27m -
Washington Post opinion editor departs as Bezos pushes to promote ‘personal liberties and free markets’
Opinion editor leaves as Amazon executive and newspaper owner says ‘viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others’. US politics live – latest updates Jeff Bezos , ...The Guardian - 3h -
Trump’s first full cabinet meeting celebrates government-shrinking effort led by Musk
Tech billionaire, who is not a member of the cabinet and described himself as ‘humble tech support’, warns without evidence that US could ‘go bankrupt’. US politics live – latest updates ...The Guardian - 53m -
Michelle Trachtenberg, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl actor, dead at 39
The actor was reportedly found at a New York apartment with the cause of death as yet unknown. The actor Michelle Trachtenberg, known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Harriet the Spy, has died at ...The Guardian - 1h -
Pope shows ‘slight improvement’ in health before 13th night in hospital
Vatican says Francis’s scan ‘shows normal evolution’ of lung inflammation and kidney problem has ‘resolved’. Pope Francis has shown a “further, slight improvement” as the 88-year-old remains in ...The Guardian - 38m
More in World
-
England v Spain: Women’s Nations League – live
Nations League updates from the 8pm GMT kick-off Read Moving the Goalposts | And send Emillia an email During her pre-match press conference, England manager Sarina Wiegman said: “They’re ...The Guardian - 12m -
Tottenham v Manchester City, Nottingham Forest v Arsenal, Manchester United v Ipswich – live
Premier League updates from the 7.30pm GMT kick-offs Liverpool v Newcastle: Premier League updates – live Live scoreboard | Read Football Daily | And mail Taha Emilia Hawkins is ...The Guardian - 13m -
Liverpool v Newcastle United: Premier League – live
Premier League updates from the 8.15pm GMT kick-off Live scores | Table | Read Football Daily | And mail Will It looks very cold and windy at Anfield. If you want a classic, then the ...The Guardian - 14m -
Israel and Hamas agree final swap as ceasefire’s first phase to expire
Bodies of four Israeli hostages due to be released in conditions designed to avoid televised spectacleFinancial Times - 15m -
Trump says US will not make Ukraine security guarantees ‘beyond very much’ and Kyiv can ‘forget about’ joining Nato – live
Trump also announced Zelenskyy would visit the White House on Friday to sign the mineral deal . The Kremlin said on Wednesday that expert level talks between the US and Russia were being prepared. ...The Guardian - 27m