The Malian Diva OUMOU SANGARÉ
Blues
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1h 23m
Oumou Sangaré in concert at the Terre de Blues Festival in Marie-Galante. She is one of the greatest African singers. Recently nominated for the Victoires de la Musique, her records are among the most decisive of the genre. She leads a career as an entrepreneur and her artistic career. A humble woman, the Malian diva works constantly to improve the daily life of her people.
Oumou Sangaré is a Grammy Award-winning Malian Wassoulou musician of Fulani or Fula descent. She is often referred to as "The Songbird of Wassoulou". Wassoulou is a historical region south of the Niger River, where the music descends from age-old traditional song, often accompanied by a calabash.
Sangaré recorded her first album, Moussoulou ("Women"), with Amadou Ba Guindo, a renowned maestro of Malian music. The album was very successful in Africa, with more than 200,000 copies sold.
With the help of Ali Farka Touré, Sangaré signed with the English label World Circuit. They re-released the album Moussoulou. At the age of 21, she was already a star. She is considered an ambassador of Wassoulou; her music has been inspired by the music and traditional dances of the region. She writes and composes her songs, which often include social criticism, especially concerning women's low status in society.
Many of Sangaré's songs concern love and marriage, especially freedom of choice in marriage. Her 1989 album Moussoulou was an unprecedented West African hit. In 1995, she toured with Baaba Maal, Femi Kuti, and Boukman Eksperyans. Other albums include Ko Sira (1993), Worotan (1996), and a 2-CD compilation Oumou (2004), all released on World Circuit Records. Sangaré supports the cause of women throughout the world. She was named an ambassador of the FAO in 2003 and won the UNESCO Prize in 2001 and was made a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters of France in 1998.
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