Mali's musical capital
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Taking time out to get the best view of Bamako |
Photo: Greg Williams/Oxfam |
A city with a great musical heritage
Bamako is not only Mali’s capital city but also the centre
of its music scene. Spreading across the banks of the river Niger,
it is home to more than a million people.
The city's music makers, the jelis and jelimusolu, are born into
their profession, making up a distinct social group known as the
griot caste. Common griot surnames include Kouyaté, Diabaté
and Soumano – names which you come across again and again as
you explore Bamako's music scene.
Early in his On the Line trip, Damon visited Mali’s Institut
National des Arts, a fortress of pink stone and minarets right in
the middle of Bamako. Courses on offer to teenagers and young adults
range from theatre to decorative metalwork – and of course
music, which was the focus for this vist. Three bands performed
in all: a teachers' jazz band, the music students themselves and
finally the Ensemble Instrumental Traditionel – an orchestra
playing Malian instruments. This was the first opportunity for Damon
to get up on stage and get a feel for how his own music might blend
with the traditional forms of Mali.
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