Inspired by his Tuareg origins. Bombino is considered one of the best living blues guitarists. We met him in Madrid during one of his tours.

“The best place to create and listen to music is in the desert. It is there that you live a unique experience. You have the feeling that when you hold an instrument in your hand and play it, you finish an incomplete picture. It is in the silence of the desert that the notes pursue us, creating melodies that ride the dunes”.
He is considered one of the best living blues guitarists. He has managed to combine nomadic culture with sounds that fascinate the widest international audience.
His real name is Goumar Almoctar, but, in the world of music, he is called Bombino. A Nigerien Tuareg, he was born in Agadez, in the heart of the Sahara, on January 1, 1980. His childhood was not easy, between tribal tensions and continuous coups in the State of Niger that forced him to emigrate with his family to Algeria and then to Libya.
There, he worked for some time as a shepherd, passing the time learning to play the guitar. Towards the end of the nineties, he returned to Niger. He cultivated his passion for music. Influenced by “Desert Blues” – a blend of ethnic sounds and Anglo-American rock music – it had become second nature to him and he based his music on that of Jimi Hendrix and Mark Knopfler, then leader of Dire Straits.

Bombino in Concert. CC BY-SA 4.0/Hreinn Gudlaugsson

His debut album, “Group Bombino”, released in 2009, was followed by another recorded in 2011 live in Agadez, but it was only with the next album, “Nomad” (produced in 2013), that Bombino managed to attract the attention of critics.
In April 2016, “Azel” was released, a studio album that brought Bombino’s guitar playing to the forefront, while remaining true to his desert blues roots and singing in his native language, Tamashek. In 2017 he released La Sombra and in 2018 his sixth studio album, Deran. The album was met with widespread acclaim both for its musicality and its embrace of culture and heritage.
In 2021 Bombino released Live in Amsterdam. And finally, his eighth and final album released on September 15, 2023, is called Sahel. “Sahel is a mix of acoustic and electric songs – says the artist. I have been working on many of them for years. It was exciting to finally record these songs and work on the arrangements with my band. The album was recorded in Casablanca and produced by David Wrench.”
But this album has something different from the others. He continues: “I wanted to make an album that talks about the struggles of life in the Sahara and the experience of the Tuareg people. I also wanted to address universal themes such as love, which everyone can identify with. I tried to show the beauty of the region and to appeal for unity. Life is hard in the Sahel and we can only survive if we stick together and work for peace. These are the themes I was thinking about when I entered
the studio to record.”

All his musical works carry his origins within him. He says: “There is a lot of beauty in the vastness of the desert. When you are there, you are in the middle of a powerful experience. My hometown, Agadez, is of course very close to my heart. The Great Mosque of Agadez is 27 meters high and is the highest mosque built of adobe blocks. The Aire Mountains are also a very special place to visit and you can see a lot of vegetation in the mountain valleys. The region is much more geographically diverse than you might imagine.”
Of course, the lyrics of the songs are in Tamazigh. “With my songs I want to help the listener understand our Tamazigh culture. We Tuareg are welcoming because we live in the desert, where it is rare to see other people and have contact with the outside world. Our mission is to tell the whole world that we Tuareg are a welcoming people and the best way to do that is in my mother tongue, Tamazigh.”
The singer confirms how the history of the Tuareg has played an important role in his artistic career: “The history of the Tuareg has marked my life. As a young man, I had to flee Niger twice because of the political situation in the country. However, I never felt the need to take up arms to support the rebels’ cause, because I always thought that there was a way through music. I was able to use my guitar to help me in this task and to find a way out.” He does not hide the difficult times that Niger is living: “These are difficult times for my country. The economic situation is not good, there is a lot of inflation and it is difficult for people to find work. There are also security problems in some areas. I pray every day for Niger and I hope that things will improve. However, I believe in Niger and every time I finish my travels I always return home.”

The Great Mosque of Agadez is 27 meters high and is the highest mosque built of adobe blocks. File swm

Returning to the topic of music, Bombino wants to highlight the difference between traditional blues and rock. “The melodies, rhythms and phrasing are unique to my music. My rhythms have a connection to the past generation of Berber music. The melodies also come from a long tradition.”Bombino recalls how his music has been influenced by Tuareg musicians. He says: “Abdallah Oumbadougou was like a father to Tuareg musicians and was very important to me too. Ali Farka Touré’s musicality and virtuosity inspired me and showed me the path that African guitarists can take. I have always been a big fan of Jimi Hendrix and Mark Knopfler and I learned a lot from their guitars when I was younger.”What is the role of the guitar among the Tuareg? Bombino tells us: “The guitar is our alternative to weapons. It can bring about change and be a call to action, it can unite us. The world would be a better place if all weapons were replaced by guitars.”

“Our mission is to tell the whole world that we Tuareg are a welcoming people and the best way to do that is in my mother tongue, Tamazigh.” File swm

On December 7, 2018, with the Album Deran Bombino he received a Grammy nomination for Best World Music Album, a first for an artist from Niger. He tells us: “I feel a great responsibility to represent the Tuareg people in the world, but it is also a great honour and a privilege. If it were not for Tuareg music, it is possible that nothing would be known about our culture in any other way.
Looking to the future, Bombino says: “I hope for peace in Niger and the Sahel and I hope that my music can make a small difference and contribute to achieving this goal. I would also like to establish new collaborations. In the last ten years, I have had some very interesting musical partners, and I can’t wait to see who will be the next one.”
He concludes: “The thing I am most proud of is the role I play in preserving Tuareg culture. When I play, I bring with me the pride of a people. A people who, in the silence of the desert, speak to the world with far-seeing eyes.” (Open Photo: Goumar Almoctar in music Bombino.CC BY-SA 3.0/Schorle)

Gonzalo Vitón