Sonic Sundays | Fatoumata Diawara

Fatoumata Diawara
Image | Schorle, via Wikimedia Commons

Fatoumata Diawara is a Malian guitarist, singer, and actress. Born in Ivory Coast, she was raised in Mali before moving to Paris to pursue a career in acting, later pursuing singing and learning to play the guitar.

Her distinctive playing style has made Fatoumata Diawara one of the essential African artists of today. Mali has been known for its guitar playing and style (Ali Farka Touré, for example), and Fatoumata Diawara acknowledges the unique way in which Malian guitar players have adapted their style from traditional string instruments. However, it is a genre dominated by men, and Fatoumata Diawara is changing that by becoming the first solo electric guitar player from Mali, gaining international recognition, including multiple Grammy nominations.

Many of her songs deal with women’s experiences and issues such as female circumcision, immigration, conflict, and peace. She sings in the national language of Mali, Bambara. Since the release of her first album, Fatou, in 2011, Fatoumata Diawara has toured all over the world and has recorded or performed with famous Malian artists like Toumani Diabaté, Oumou Sangaré, and Amadou & Mariam. Her latest album is titled Fenfo, which means “something to say.”

Included in the Tiny Desk Concert are three songs from Fenfo, “Kanou Dan Yen,” the powerful “Nterini,” and the energetic “Negue Negue,” in which Fatoumata Diawara uses an afrobeat rhythm popularized by Malian artist Fela Kuti. The name “Kokoro” translates to “Ancestral Heritage” and in this song she sings of her pride in her heritage and cultural traditions, and discusses the impacts of colonization, the Atlantic slave trade, and foreign ownership of resources on the continent of Africa today. In “Kélé,” a song from Fatou, she sings about the destruction and senselessness of war and calls for unity and peace.

NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, including “Kanou Dan Yen,” “Nterini” (love/confidant), and “Negue Negue” (sweetness)

”Kokoro” (Ancestral heritage)

“Kélé”