(headline image: The Mandé Spirit — Photo by Kurt Eckardt)
On December 6th, an ensemble of musicians from the West African diaspora gathered in an intimate Melbourne venue to pay homage to iconic Malian musician Toumani Diabate. The master of kora (21-string harp-lute) died on July 19th, leaving a huge legacy on the global music landscape.
Melbourne Community radio (PBS FM) presenter Stani Goma had a vision to celebrate the great man’s life and work with a tribute concert. He started by contacting Aboubacar Djelike Kouyate, a Malian multi-instrumentalist now based in the Victorian capital. From this, a talented group named The Mandé Spirit was assembled for the occasion. They honored the memory of Toumani’s artistry, introducing their own exciting interpretations. Before the evening’s end, MC Stani announced there’d been word from Bamako that the event was unique – worldwide, the only one of its kind. Also performing were South Sudanese singer-songwriter (now an Australian citizen) Ajak Kwai with her band, Afrobeat group The Afrobiotics and Pretorian-born DJ Kgomotso Sekhu.
Toumani Diabatés father Sidiki recorded the first-ever kora album in 1970. His mother, Nene Koita, was a singer. His family’s oral tradition spans 70 generations of musicians. Equally important, his cousin Sona Jobarteh was the first female professional kora player to come from a griot family. Furthermore, his younger brother Mamadou Sidiki Diabaté, also a celebrated kora player. Toumani’s own achievements, recordings, awards, and collaborations were vast.
Aboubacar says, “Stani called me when Toumani passed away. He asked me, ‘Can you build a band here?’ I asked my good friend Amadou Suso. He’s a great kora player from The Gambia. Sometimes he makes me cry when he plays kora. Amadou said, ‘Hey Stani. Aboubacar and I don’t need any rehearsal because we’ve been to the same ‘school’, you know? We can imagine and we can play naturally.’ It’s crazy! I love this project.”
Completing the group are master percussionist Mohamed Camara from Guinea, Malian virtuoso drummer and balafonist, Bassidi Koné and soulful vocalist Aminata Doumbia (with roots in Mali). Together, they capture the essence of the Mandé peoples, their language, and tradition.
“Toumani was a Mandé griot. There were no countries called Gambia, Senegal… Colonization separated all these West African [nations]. Before, it was all the same. Camara is from Guinea. Aminata has her background from Mali but was born in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). I’m from a village (Djoliba) in the south of Mali, close to the Guinea border. From the same village as Salif Keita, star of Mali. He was very close with my father, from the same family of griots. I remember [before] at WOMADelaide, I talked to him, and he made me cry. He was so proud because I was in Australia. He said, ‘This is my friend’s son. I can’t believe I’m seeing you here.’”
The Mandé people originate from across the Sahel region and, as their trading expanded, several subgroups relocated, spreading across West Africa. Mandé speakers live in parts of West Africa including Guinea, Mali, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Benin, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. The essence of the region’s traditional music is timeless and universally evocative. The griot passes on their society’s history, through stories, poems, music, and ceremonies.
“Every melody or song means something,” says Aboubacar. “Singing from the king, or something to advise the people, or songs for the griot. It’s very important in our society; I can’t say West Africa because it was the Mandé Empire. There was nobody to write our language, so the book was the griot. Our society was a very big organization. This culture never ran away. We keep it. It’s there still. For example, Salif is not a griot, but his music is all griot, just arranged in his style but from the heritage of the griot. Salif was the king. So, they don’t sing. If you are Keita, you have to be king; everybody respects his own place. Not be king of griot. Kouyate are the first griot from the Mandinka empire. My ancestor was king of Mali. An adviser and musician. I’m very proud of my family. Our ancestors worked very hard for their culture.”
Aboubacar learned at an early age how his heritage would direct his career path. “Oh my God, I don’t want to cry now,” he recalls, “But when I was seven years old, my father forced me to play music. I said, ‘No Daddy. I don’t want to play music! I wanna go to school and to be a doctor.’ So, I went to my grandmum. She said, ‘I can do nothing. Your grandfather was doing the same thing to him.’ So…by my father forcing me, I don’t have a choice. But when I was 12 years, I came to thank him. I can play different instruments. I love that. I go to all those communities, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast…to learn more. It’s the same music but with a different accent sometimes. Like our group The Mandé Spirit, it’s unique blend. We’re like a family now. It was very emotional at the Toumani tribute.”
A multi-instrumentalist, Aboubacar specializes in the calabash and kamale ngoni. There are three kinds of ngoni/n’goni (West African rhythm harps): the djeli, the donso and the kamale. “Ngoni is like a kora but different. Djeli is for griot. Donso means the hunting ngoni. Kamale is a harp for the young men. Although there are only four fingers to play the strings, close your eyes, and it sounds like four people playing together. You put the bass line, accompaniment, percussion…it’s like a calabash covering with the skin so it sounds like a djidunun (drum). Sometimes when I pay [acoustic] guitar, people say, “Oh, your guitar sounds like a kora!” I don’t play like [the western style] but pick the strings like kora. Many people here in Australia know Toumani’s music, also people like Ali Farka Touré and Salif. It makes me very proud. The northern blues guitar style is crazy, like from Tinariwen. Then, down to the south, the music you hear with Oumou Sangaré...”
“When I went to France to play my music, my father said, ‘Now, instead of being a doctor in a hospital giving injections, you heal with music.’ It’s the best medicine. If I’m angry or stressed, I run away and play, and it’s gone.”
While some members of The Mandé Spirit have travelled back to West Africa since the Melbourne Tribute to Toumani, they will rejoin to build on their unique collaboration. Performing in March at WOMADelaide will undoubtedly cement their place as celebrated artists in this country and beyond. Together they create inspiration to dream, to dance and to celebrate. Aboubacar says, “In Adelaide, it will really be something!”
Author: Chris Lambie
