RFI Musique - - Mali, new music for a new nation

Mali, new music for a new nation

Legendary groups of an era

Paris

31/03/2010 -

In the 1960s, Mali’s own culture provided firm foundations for the construction of a new African state. In their enthusiastic embrace of independence, young artists and musicians came together to renew their traditional cultural heritage and invent a new, globalised electric sound.

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In Mali, music is a national treasure passed down for centuries from generation to generation. Associated with the history of families such as the Kouyatés and the Diabatés, Mali’s musical tradition is an expression of society’s most deep-seated codes. From independence until the late seventies, Mali’s national identity was intimately bound up with its culture, enabling the emergence of new sounds that placed Mali at the heart of the “modern traditional” revolution.

Cultural unity

At the time of independence, after the fall of the short-lived Senegal-Mali federation on 22 September 1960, Modibo Keita, like his Guinean counterpart Sékou Touré, quickly put together a series of national music groups. The aim was to give multi-ethnic traditions a modern context and to support the values of the revolution. Using traditional tunes, musicians introduced brass, conga drums, electric guitars and contemporary arrangements to develop a new sound.

On the more traditional side, the Malian Instrumental Ensemble, created in 1961, was the symbol of the artistic and cultural unity of the new Mali. The aim of the Ensemble was above all to preserve Mali’s prodigious musical heritage and show it in its best light. Around thirty instrumentalists were recruited, including kora player Sidiki Diabaté, who joined in 1963. The Ensemble was an immediate success in Mali, where it performed at all official and popular events. It became a school of excellence for artists and won numerous prestigious awards, including first prize at the Festival des Arts Nègres in Dakar in 1966, and at the PanAfrican Festival in Algiers in 1969.

The youth revolution

Boubacar Traoré in 2000's.

In 1962, youth weeks were organised in villages across the country in search of new talent. Mali quickly became a veritable incubator of creativity, overflowing with enthusiasm. Many young artists performed publicly for first time on these occasions, building the foundations of a new, completely emancipated music for the times. At night, photographer Malick Sidibé documented the infectious joy of Bamako nightlife, while during the day, youths from the Bagadadji neighbourhood would come and pose at his studio with their mopeds and transistor radios.

Radio was crucially important to the burgeoning musical scene of the post-independence years. Radio Mali promoted the artists, recording them and broadcasting their efforts across the country. In 1963, Kar Kar, the “Malian Elvis”, recorded eight tracks at Radio Mali. Three of them, Mali Twist, Kayes Ba and Mariama made a huge impact on Malian youth. “Children of independent Mali, let’s take charge” is the refrain of Mali Twist, which was played morning and night on Radio Mali.

Biennials

In 1968, Modibo Keita was toppled from power by Moussa Traoré. He ended the national youth weeks; in their place in 1970 he instigated artistic biennials. Several regional groups were formed out of the biennials, including the Super Djata Band, the Super Biton from Ségou and the hypnotic Mystère Jazz from Timbuktu.

These groups were proof of the incredible artistic vitality of the times, rejuvenating the national musical scene with liberal injections of jazz, salsa and rock’n’roll. The National Badéma made a huge impression thanks to the vocal qualities of griot Kassé Mady Diabaté, who join 1973. In the capital, each neighbourhood had its own group. The Pionniers Jazz were the stars of Bamako, until the emergence of the Rail Band in 1969 under the patronage of the Ministry of Transport.

Rail Band vs Ambassadeurs du Motel

The Rail Band would perform twice a week at Bamako Station’s buffet restaurant for travellers and visiting businessmen. Their music had a striking energy, but it was above all the incredible voice of Salif Keita and the lyrics of the songs, inspired by daily life, that propelled the group to legendary status.

In 1973, Salif Keita left the Rail Band for a competing group, the Ambassadeurs du Motel. Mory Kante took Salif Keita’s place and the Rail Band continued with dazzling success. The Ambassadeurs du Motel, an unaffiliated group led by Kanté Manfila, became the other key player in the Malian “modern traditional” movement. In 1978 the Ambassadeurs moved to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where they recorded their album Mandjou. At the time, Mali had no studios, and Moussa Traoré’s regime was becoming increasingly harsh.

The Ivorian capital was fast becoming the new musical crossroads of the region. It had the finances, studios, and musicians from all over Africa – and its nightlife was wild. It was the beginning of a new era, and in Abidjan a new style of music was developing that would later come to be known in Europe in the eighties as “world music”.