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Praise singing in Kela
Towards the end of their trip, the group headed out to a village
called Kela, home to Kasse Mady, one of Mali’s most famous
praise singers. Kela is 106 km west of Bamako down a hard packed
dirt road. In the rainy season it gets bad and the trip can take
four hours – but it's the most famous griot village
in Mali, full of musicians and very beautiful.
Kasse Mady is arguably the best contemporary Mande voice, rivalling
Salif Keita for beauty and lyricism, but staying deeply rooted in
the jeli tradition. The singer, friends and family staged a special
musical performance for the visitors, and after a while Damon took
his place and joined in on melodica.
Photos: Greg Williams/Oxfam
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