Mali’s been sliding into civil war, failed state-ism and general chaos for a while now. Of course it had it coming for decades, but such is the world we’ve built; we don’t take notice until Al-Qaeda settles in a place and then send in jets and drones. It’s not the first country that collapsed in this way, and will not be the last, but as westerners we feel a special bond with Mali, being home to ancient cities such as Timbuktu and an amazing cosmos of music.
Here’s a few of my favorite Mali musicians:
Amadou & Mariam:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpuFMa7KhMU]
Master Kora player Toumani Diabati:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADcvNaygEP8]
The Blues of Ali Farka Toure:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l5KZVte6iY]
And last but not least, the music Tinariwen, the most famous of Touareq rebel bands of the north of Mali. Who apart from making great music have sang for years about injustice and uprising. But you know, the music was so good, we kept booking them at festivals without actually listening to what they were singing about:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcqlOq1cjjc]
Here’s where most people would stop reading, and I wouldn’t blame you. Even if Mali is only a country of great music, that’s more than many other countries are to us. However, if you want to know more about the civil war raging in the country, start reading this blog:
http://bridgesfrombamako.com/
Alweer zo’n geweldige Blog entry. Keep up the good work!
Dank dank!
“Unintended Consequences of Military Intervention”: Roots of Mali, Algeria Crisis Tied to Libya War
http://www.democracynow.org/2013/1/18/unintended_consequences_of_military_intervention_roots
Thanks for posting this article, it’s a good complement to the articles on the blog I posted.
Thanks Mezrab for singing the good song and bringing attention to this. I had heard a disturbing rumour that they were executing storytellers in Mali. Thanks again for bringing this to light!
Thanks Clare, we do what we can, even if it feels like a drop on a hot plate.