AMNA NAWAZ: Guitarist Mdou Moctar# has been bringing a new kind of## music to the world steeped# in his cultural heritage.

Now his latest album strikes# a decidedly political chord,## a response to upheaval in his home country of# Niger, including a military coup last year.

Special correspondent Christopher Booker caught up## with him on tour through the U.S. for# our arts and culture series, Canvas.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: The reviews of Mdou Moctar's# new album are filled with incendiary adjectives,## words like fiery, blazing, and screaming, all# appropriate descriptions of an album which, to## Western ears, offers an entirely new demonstration# of what's possible with an electric guitar.

When I first sat down with Moctar three years ago,## there was an effort under way among the press# to find a proper description of this guitar## prodigy from Niger.

Was he the Hendrix of the# Sahara or an African an African Eddie Van Halen?

MDOU MOCTAR, Musician: For me,# it doesn't matter.

They call me## whatever they need.

But I am still Mdou# Moctar.

And then I try all to be me.

I support, absolutely, I support# Jimi Hendrix.

I love what he do.## And then I love Eddie Van Halen too., all the# famous artists, very talented.

I love them,## but I love myself more.

And then I try# all the time to, like, have my own style.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Sung in his native# Tamashek and French, Moctar's music is## a contemporary iteration of what's been# nicknamed desert blues, guitar-driven## music performed by the Tuareg people, a# traditionally nomadic group from the Sahara.

Do you worry that there's a rush to label# you, to almost Westernize your sound?

MDOU MOCTAR: No.

The music, like, it's# -- I feel the music, it's like ocean.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Three years later, after a# near constant tour through the U.S. and Europe,## Moctar now stands as a singular player.# Comparisons are no longer necessary.

MDOU MOCTAR: The most important for me to saw# those people happy.

That, it's the most important,## because we do the same when we have 30 person.# We use the same energy with like 30,000 person.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Despite growing recognition,# Moctar's musical ocean has grown more agitated,## reflected both in the intensity of# his playing and in the title of this## new album surrounded by the incendiary# descriptions, "Funeral for Justice."

When you say funeral for justice,# what justice is being lost or buried?

MDOU MOCTAR: For me, when I say# the funeral for justice, I mean,## like, justice doesn't exist# anymore.

Every country, like,## try to be strong than his neighbor.

Just# for what reason?

Just to hurt him.

To make## him say, I am stronger than you, I can say# whatever I need to say.

No one can stop me.

It is what happen in this world, and# that is not justice.

That is not fair.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: This album, though, was# written and recorded before the recent upheaval## in Moctar's native Niger.

On July 26, the Northern# African country saw its democratically elected## president, Mohamed Bazoum, a politician Moctar# publicly supported, overthrown in a military coup.

This happened as Moctar was on tour.

MIKEY COULTON, Musician: It was like,# OK, we're going to take this day by day,## hour by hour.

And, finally, when# we finished the last shows, like,## yes, you guys can't go back# home.

The borders are closed.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Mikey Coulton plays bass in# the band.

He started playing with Moctar in 2017.

MIKEY COULTON: And so everyone was stuck# in New York for a while and freaking out,## calling their families.

Like, they just want to go## home to their families.

And it was# a very scary thing for these guys.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Moctar and drummer Souleymane# Ibrahim and rhythm guitar player Ahmoudou## Madassane spent nearly six weeks in a holding# pattern in the United States.

But in October,## they were able to return home, staying# home through the winter and early spring,## before the summer's tours of# the U.S. and Europe resumed.

Were worried they wouldn't# be able to get back here?

MIKEY COULTON: Yes, of course, always.# There's always that fear.

Even pre-coup,## there's always the visa fear.# There's, yes, we get the visa,## but then what happens?

Can they get# inside of the country?

And there's## never that sign of relief until you see# them walking through the airport gates.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: They did make it# through this time, and the first stop## was a single-day rehearsal in Brooklyn,# a warmup before two shows at Coachella,## California's annual mega-festival# in desert outside of Palm Springs.

You sing about many things about what's going on## at home.

Do American audiences# know what's happening back home?

MDOU MOCTAR: Some of them, they know today# what is going.

Here in the unites states,## the people love the music,# like, very loud and crazy.

MDOU MOCTAR: And then I am trying again to make# them happy by what I am playing.

Later, some of## them, like, are curious and then they're going to# say, I have to know what he's thinking about it.

And then, in the same time, we have the# translator for our track in the album,## and then they're going to see it and ten# understand what we're talking about it.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: On the opening track of# "Funeral for Justice," also called "Funeral## for Justice," Moctar asks African leaders: "Why# does your ear only heed France and America?## They misled you into giving up your lands.

They# delightfully watch you in your fraternal feud."

MDOU MOCTAR: This album, it's, like, more# serious than all the albums I did before,## because the problem is going, like,# bigger than bigger.

We have, like,## to be honest and, like, punch in the face# for the colonialism and tell them the truth.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: What would# justice look like for you?

MDOU MOCTAR: The first thing is, don't hurt# someone because you're stronger than him.## Don't drink his water because you are# thirsty.

It is what I call justice.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: While, personally and# artistically, Moctar wrestles with the complicated## geopolitics of the world, the spirit of the# effort is, at its core, still pure rock 'n' roll.

You're a touring rock star at# this point.

You're playing all## over the world.

You're playing Coachella.# People see you.

Your life is on the road,## and then it's home.

Do you feel# like you live in two worlds?

MDOU MOCTAR: It's not I feel.

I do.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: This certainly may be true# for Moctar the man, but, with his guitar in hand,## the contours between these two worlds are# becoming just a bit more difficult to see.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Christopher# Booker in Brooklyn, New York.