continental drift 12/7/22: mali
Welcome back to continental drift! This episode was very special to me, as I put in a lot of great research, and found lots of cool things to share! This is Mali. Listen to the playlist here, and listen back to the episode here.
Mali is a country on the west coast of Africa. It is the 24th rank by land area and the 60th rank by population. The official language is French, as Mali was under colonial rule until 1960, though Bambara is the first language for half the population.
Mali is home of Mandingnkalu, or ‘people of Manding’. What’s unique about this episode is that instead of exploring different genres, as usual, I found there to be a very distinct Manding or Malian sound with variations on this sound based on situations, influences, or content. Baba Sangare of Radio Mali says “even if we play with modern instruments, it still retains the smell of folk music.”
This sound is derived from the jeli tradition. Jeli is the Manding word for griot, and refers to an oral historian, storyteller, songmaker. The main instrument in Manding music is the Kora, a 21 string lute, played almost exclusively by men. There is also a Taureg culture, but as that was covered extensively in the Niger episode, I won’t focus on that here.
In the making of this episode I relied strongly on the research of ethnomusicologist Lucy Durán, who specializes in West African and Cuban music, specifically Manding music, women singers of Mali, the kora, jeli traditions, and Cuban influence in West Africa. I also found a fascinating documentary from BBC in 1989, which highlights several musicians and cultures of Mali and also was based on Duran’s research.
Western Mali was the birthplace of the emperor Sunjata Keita, who founded the Mali empire around 1235. Sunjata’s rise to power has many twists and turns, including themes of love, betrayal, sorcery, battles, etc, which has been preserved in jeli tradition. Sunjata had a personal jeli named Bala Faseke Kouyate, and today the Kouyate lineage is regarded as the only true hereditary lineage of musicians. Anyone in the Kouyate family is automatically regarded as a jeli, regardless of if they play music or sing.
Sunjata // Trio de Kali and the Kronos Quartet
There is a very strong Cuban influence in some of the popular Manding songs, especially those from the late 20th century. In the 1989 BBC documentary, Salif Keita says, “I consider it a duty for all Malians to love Cuban music, because it’s through Cuban music that we were introduced to modern instruments.”
Salif Keita’s biggest hit of the 1970s is “Mandjou”, which although based on a jeli praise song, has clear Latin influence. Salif Keita got his start in Rail Band. They were originally commissioned to make Buffet Hotel, owned by the rail line, profitable, so they played every day in the garden. They were super popular, launching careers of many musicians and making the Buffet Hotel the place to be.
When asked about singing in Spanish, Salif Keita says, “Je faisais semblant de chanter en espagnol, je sais pas si c’était l’espagnol, parce que on peut imiter l’intonation, mais peux pas l’exactement de la langue” (I was doing a semblance of Spanish, but I don’t know if it was Spanish, because I can imitate the intonation, but not exactly the language).
But why cuban influence in Mali? Baba Sangare of Radio Mali credits the “percussion, frenzy, taste for dance, and expressing oneself through drumming.” He says “the African loves everything that is rhythm,” and “it’s a lot easier to dance to than the tango or the waltz.”
Cuban segment:
Mandjou // Salif Keita
Nansi Komotigi // L’orchestre National “A” de la Republique du Mali
Bamako wedding celebration
Sundays are special in Mali, specifically in the capital Bamako. On Sundays, “the entire city becomes a riot of colour and rhythm.” This is because Sunday is the day of jelis in Bamako, and of weddings (traditionally), up to 500 in one Sunday. Amadou & Mariam made album Dimanches à Bamako about this celebration. “Beaux Dimanches” describes the going ons about the city for a wedding.
Amadou & Mariam
From “Beaux Dimanches:”
Les dimanches à Bamako c’est le jour de mariage (Sundays in Bamako are the day for marriage)
Les djembés et les n’doulous résonnent partout (Djembes and N’doulous sound throughout)
Les baras et les n’tamas résonnent partout (Baras and N’tamas sound throughout)
La kora et le n’goni sont aussi au rendez-vous (The kora and the n’goni are at the function)
Les parents et les sympathisants sont au rendez-vous (parents and loved ones are at the function)
Les copains et les voisins sont au rendez-vous (friends and neighbors are at the function)
Les Founés et les Djidis sont aussi au rendez-vous (The Founes and the Dijidis are also at the function)
Wedding sample:
Beaux Dimanches // Amadou & Miriam
In Mali, there is a strict gender divide among musicians: women are the most popular singers, and men are instrumentalists. Women dominate radio and popular music, though it is important to note that they are not allowed to play instruments, whereas men are allowed to sing, so it is just as well (in my opinion) that they get to shine in the singing department. Jelimusow, or women jelis, have become “an important role model for the blending of old cultural values with new social norms. Male musicians complain that they are overshadowed by these fabulous cantatrices, and have even formed an association (Association Amicale des Artistes) to ensure that they receive their proper share of the sometimes substantial sums of money bestowed on these women by their adoring audiences”. Due to the predominance of women singers, many of their songs are about issues that affect women adversely, such as polygamy and arranged marriages.
In “San barana”, Kandia Kouyaté (of the true lineage of jelis) is calling on co-wives to respect each other. She is firmly grounded in the Maninka tradition of her home town of Kita, one of the great centres of jeli music.
San barana // Kandia Kouyate
Concorde Gaye // Ami Koïta
Many Manding tunes (including many featured on this episode and especially newer songs) have been “played so often that they are more like blueprints for improvisation than fixed melodies – like jazz standards they are constantly updated with new interpretations, peppered with references to global rhythms and dazzling, virtuosic ornamentation.” Keletigui Diabaté says “l’improvisation c’est pour enlever la monotonie de la musique.
Ali Farka Touré, was a world renowned Mali musician known for his blues style guitar. His son, Vieux Farka Toure (The Hendrix of the Sahara), has carried on in his style, even reworking some of the same songs as his father. Ali, a collaboration with Texas artist Khruangbin, is a remembrance to his father who died in 2006. The songs were selected by Ali’s 11 children. In Mali, your family name will often correspond to your profession, and it is common for families to all be musicians. We saw this earlier with Sidiki Diabate, and also the Kouyaté lineage.
Jarabi (also spelt “Diarabi”) talks of the power of passionate love, and advises youths to follow their hearts in their choice of marriage partner. It is a popular choice to be played at weddings.
Standard Song Segment:
Tangambara // Ali Farka Touré
Diarabi // Vieux Farka Touré
“Se se wa bena” “song encouraging rural youth to organize themselves” (36:24)
Fatoumata Diawara
Fatoumata Diawara takes Malian music and blends with the Western style of London to create Londonko.
Londonko sample:
Nterini // Fatoumata Diawara
Thanks for reading, or tuning in! I’m here every Wednesday 8-9pm with a new country. Join next week for Argentina.