Oumou Sangaré & Amkoullel in Mali

by Daniel Brown

Article published on the 2009-02-20 Latest update 2009-02-20 17:30 TU

Amkoullel
(Photo: Daniel Brown)

It’s been 12 years since Oumou Sangaré released a studio album to add to the five that has marked her out as one of Africa’s most outstanding female vocalists. The album is called Seya in Europe, and Kounadya in her native Mali. World Tracks tracked down the 41-year-old in Ségou for a concert, and had a long exchange with the singer. Ségou’s 2009 Festival sur le Niger also hosted Amkoullel, a burgeoning rap talent who electrified the audience with his mix of raw lyrics, traditional instruments and spectacular dances.

The sixth album by Oumou Sangaré, Seya, marks twenty years of a glittering career that has made her one of continent’s most popular artists, and a serious contender to succeed Miriam Makeba as the new Mama Africa.

Oumou Sangare
(Photo: Daniel Brown)

Someone who has paid homage to both these female vocalists, both past and present, is Cheick Tidiane Seck. He was a master of ceremonies for a tribute to Makeba last month, and now has ushered in a new era for Sangaré’s music. The keyboard wizard composed and arranged Seya, bringing the lush, funky feel that is his trademark.

“I must pay homage to his contribution,” underlined Sangaré the day after her sold-out concert in Ségou. “I sought him out to modernise my music and build bridges towards a more international audience. He has done just that,” she said.

Like her first release, Wassoulou, Seya marks exactly 20 years of collaboration with the World Circuit Label, founded by British producer Nick Gold. Released in Mali under the title Kounadya, it sold 80,000 copies within the first week, a reflection of just how keen Malians are to discover the songs of their favourite female singer.

“Well, I was surprised at how the concert went, here at the Festival on the Niger. All the people were singing it with me. In just a week, they had been working hard on my lyrics, obviously. They knew all of the songs", she explained. 

Oumou Sangare
(Photo: Daniel Brown)

Sangaré is seen as a role-model, especially for the women of her country. This explains the time and painstaking reflection she puts into her lyrics.

When I make an album, the words have a central role. Each time I prepare to release one, people go round saying “Oh! What is she going to say this time, eh?” In Mali, I’ve called this record Kounadya, that means “Lucky Star”. You know, my albums have continuity.”

“They’re like chapters in a book. My first record, Moussoulou, was about women, as the title indicates. The second one I called Bi Fourou, which means 'marriage'. The first concern women have in our society is marriage. As soon as she’s born, her family think only about that! After marriage, the most important thing the woman thinks about is children. And so my third release was called Denko. So, there’s 'Woman', 'marriage', 'child'.”

“Once you have children, a woman is pre-occupied by giving them a good education. Then, you’re happy, it means you’ve done your job well, and can be satisfied. So I called the fourth album Labana. My fifth was out of context, I did it for football’s African Cup of Nations which took place in Mali in 2002", she said.

"For the sixth release I went for Kounadya. A woman with a good marriage and well-educated children is a lucky woman. It’s as if you were born under a luck star. I wanted to close the series here.”

The album also denounces polygamy (of which Sangaré was a victim herself - she has only recently forgiven her father for what she long considered a betrayal), and marriage at a young age. But the mother-of-one made sure the spirit of her sixth release was not only one of pessimism.

“My idea with Seya is to show the positive side of Africa. Because all we are shown are negative sides: war, famine, Aids. No! Africa is not just that. And people must know that. Africa harbours some of the best things in the world, but you have to discover them for yourself and get to know it better.”

 

QUIZ OF THE WEEK   Several artists, one of whom is from the Cote d’Ivoire, has paid homage to Soundiata Keïta, King of Mali in 1235. The Ivorian wrote a song devoted to the Mansa on an album called Cours d’histoire, or “History class”. Can you tell us who he is? Again, which famous reggae singer wrote a song in homage to Mansa Soundiata? The answer is in the programme. Listen to it and send your answers to [e-mail].