TIKEN JAH FAKOLY, was born in Odienne, a village in the north-west of Ivory Coast on 23 June 1968. The Fakoly family, members of the Malinke tribe, are descended from the legendary warrior chief Fakoly Koumba Fakoly Daaba and belong to the griot caste. The African griots are storytellers/musicians who guard the oral tradition of their people, their region and the most important families living there, recounting stories and legends through their music.