Tishoumaren, Tishumaren, Tichoumaren, or Tichumaren, (ⵜⵉⵛⵓⵎⴰⵔⴻⵏ in Neo-Tifinagh script) is a style of music in northern Africa. The musical style took shape as an expression of the difficult sociopolitical situation of the Tamasheq people (or Tuareg, as they are commonly referred to by others) after colonial powers left North Africa. The word Tishoumaren is derived from the French word chômeur, meaning "the unemployed". Sometimes simply called "guitar music," the style takes inspiration from the emergence of the Tamasheq as a people and a culture amidst violent turmoil in post-colonial North Africa. Today, the style remains politically critical, although it has become less associated with the violent rebelliousness that started it.