Timbuktu
Birth Name: Jason Michael Bosak Diakité
Place of Birth: Lund, Skåne län, Sweden
Date of Birth: 11 January, 1975
Ethnicity:
*African-American (father)
*Slovak, German, possibly English (mother)
Timbuktu is a Swedish rapper and reggae artist.
Timbuktu was born in Lund, Skåne län, Sweden, the son of Elaine Ruth Bosak, a teacher of English, and Madubuko Arthur Robinson Diakité, a human rights lawyer and documentary filmmaker. Both his parents are from the U.S.
In his book En droppe midnatt (2016), Timbuktu writes:
I’m a mix between Slovakia, Germany, France, Africa, South Carolina. Of white, black and Cherokee. I’m the meeting between Bosak, Schneidmüller, Hauser, Privat, Robinson, Davis and Miller. The sum of my mom’s Slavic-German roots and dad’s African heritage shaped by a Swedish welfare environment.
His father, who is of African-American descent, is from Harlem, New York, and partly grew up in Nigeria, with his own mother. Timbuktu has stated that the surname Diakité is common among the Fula people.
His mother, who is white, grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and is of Slovak descent on one side, and of German, and possibly English, ancestry on the other.
It is not clear if Timbuktu’s Cherokee Native American ancestry has been verified/documented.
Timbuktu’s paternal grandfather was Solomon Warren “Silas” Robinson (the son of parents surnamed Robinson and Miller). Solomon was born in Allendale, South Carolina, U.S. Timbuktu’s great-grandmother was the daughter of Jack Miller and Myla.
Timbuktu’s paternal grandmother was Lilian Davis, later Adadie Afrikanwe Ajuluchuku.
Timbuktu’s maternal grandfather was Francis C. M. Bosak (the son of Michael Bosák and Susanna/Suzanne Hudak). Francis was born in Pennsylvania. Michael and Susanna were Slovak emigrants; Michael was born in Okrúhle, Šariš County, Slovakia.
Timbuktu’s maternal grandmother was Mildred R. Hausser/Haisser (the daughter of Edward H. Hausser and Emma P. Miller). Mildred was born in Pennsylvania. Edward was born in New York, to ethnic German parents from France. Emma was born in Maryland, and possibly had English ancestry.
Sources: Marriage record of Timbuktu’s maternal grandparents, Francis C. M. Bosak and Mildred R. Hausser/Haisser – https://familysearch.org
Timbuktu’s maternal grandfather, Francis C. M. Bosak, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Francis C. M. Bosak on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Timbuktu’s maternal grandmother, Mildred R. Hausser/Haisser, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Mildred R. Hausser/Haisser on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Mildred R. Hausser/Haisser on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
His father grew up partly in Nigeria with his own mother. It appears that’s from where he got his African name (his mother also took one). But he is of African-American descent, and not Malian.
In his book “En droppe midnatt”, Timbuktu wrote:
“I’m a mix between Slovakia, Germany, France, Africa, South Carolina. Of white, black and Cherokee. I’m the meeting between Bosak, Schneidmüller, Hauser, Privat, Robinson, Davis and Miller. The sum of my mom’s Slavic-German roots and dad’s African heritage shaped by a Swedish welfare environment.”
It’s not clear if Timbuktu’s Cherokee ancestry has been verified/documented.
Timbuktu’s paternal grandfather was Solomon Warren “Silas” Robinson (the son of ? Robinson and ? Miller). Solomon was born in Allendale, South Carolina. Timbuktu’s great-grandmother was the daughter of Jack Miller and Myla.
Timbuktu’s paternal grandmother was Lilian Davis, later Adadie Afrikanwe Ajuluchuku.
Edward Haisser and Emma Miller —> Edward H. Hausser and Emma P. Miller
to German parents —> to ethnic German parents from France