In recent years, Mali has spawned a whole host of musical ambassadors who have travelled around the world, putting their country and their culture on the international map. Producing albums of the highest quality, dosed (to varying degrees) with a fusion of traditional and contemporary music, these artists have won extensive following of fans beyond their national borders with sounds that often integrate Western influences such as jazz and pop.
The increasing – and much-deserved - success of singers and musicians from Mali is largely due to a gradual process of musical 'fermentation' (which actually started several decades ago after the country won its independence). Malian artists have carved out their own distinctive sounds, using influences from different regions of their vast homeland and drawing musical sustenance all the way from the Saharan desert and Wassoulou land to the shores of the river Niger.

However, while music is one of the country's most important resources (and one whose economic potential has long been overlooked in Mali), it is currently under threat. As is happening in so many other African states these days, piracy is undermining the local record industry. And, if illegal networks are allowed to thrive in parallel to the official circuit, piracy may well thwart the development of Mali's national music scene, a scene which possesses an extraordinary reserve of talents who deserve to shine brighter and further afield.

Bertrand Lavaine
Translation : Julie Street

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MALI, A MUSICAL CROSSROADS 
Mali has an impressively rich and diverse music scene which, over the years, has been fuelled by traditional home-grown styles coming into contact with Western influences such as jazz and pop. RFI Musique...
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MUSICAL TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
From the 60s (a veritable Golden Age when a number of leading Malian stars were able to record at Radio Mali), to the present day, where artistic creation has fallen prey to piracy, the fate of Malian music has been closely tied to market forces. Read on

RFI WORLD MUSIC AWARD
The RFI World Music Award has been casting the spotlight on African artists for many years now and has become an important musical barometer reflecting what it is happening on the continent. A number of Malian musicians... More info

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SALIF KEITA, ROUND THE WORLD AND BACK
Over the past thirty years, Salif Keita's reputation has spread from his native Mali all over the world. And the velvet-voiced singer has followed in its wake, performing all the way from London's Royal Festival Hall to the trendiest New York venues. Read on

ALI FARKA TOURÉ
Contrary to many African artists, Ali Farka Touré was never tempted to exile himself in the West, during the seventies and eighties when the expansion of World Music drew many of them to Europe. Quite the contrary. This musician, whose musical culture is impressive, ...  Read on

OUMOU SANGARÉ
Oumou Sangaré is one of Mali's most celebrated divas – and a singer who has proved to be as popular in the West as she is in her homeland! Oumou's family hails from Wassoulou, a densely forested region in southwestern Mali, where the ‘Wassoulou sound’ is directly inspired by ...  Read on