To his friends and family he is Omara Moctar; to his fans he is Bombino.
But these are just names, titles given to him and placed upon him. So, who is Bombino? Well, the word “bombino” means “baby” in Italian, a dubbing that occurred when Moctar was the youngest member of his group when he first started playing guitar in 1990. However, this 33-year-old Nigerian songwriter and guitarist is certainly not a baby. As a survivor of the Niger rebellions of the early ’90s, Bombino grew up playing against the odds.
“It all started during the rebellions of 1990–1991,” says Bombino. “During the summer our dad took us to go to our aunt’s house in Tamanrasset, Algeria, and there my cousins and I would play at their house and they played the guitar, so it was there that I became really interested. It was something incredible for me to hear sounds that pushed me to learn it.”
After things with the rebellion cooled down a bit, Bombino went back to his motherland, Niger, and
continued to play guitar despite the nationwide ban on music. But his defiance wasn’t an act of political action; it was simply a passion to create the music that had grown to be a part of him. And that is exactly what he did. Bombino began developing his unique style of music.
“My style is a mix of jazz, blues, lots of rock, mixed with a traditional African style,” he says. “My style will continually progress and I don’t think there will ever be a name for it.”
Bombino’s music is taking him places he never imagined and introducing him to many different cultures. But he hasn’t let his rise to international fame affect how he lives his life.
“Before I was at home and now I’m travelling a lot, but I still live very much like I lived in Africa, and that’s important. I want to encourage people and the country of Niger,” he says.
Although Bombino appears to be a man with a plan, this isn’t quite the case. He admits that he doesn’t know where his life will take him, but just hopes that wherever he is his homeland will be in better
shape and he’s able to take care of his family.
“It is not in the African nature to really focus on future dreams,” he says. “I don’t really know what I hope for. I’m not even sure about tomorrow. I hope in 10 years that Niger is in a better condition, and that I will have what it takes to support my family.”
Bombino
Sunday, April 22
Victoria Events Centre
1415broad.ca