It’s halfway through my Malian trip and I found myself in the rural village of Lofine. Mali Rising’s team is tucked away under the shade of a huge gnarled tree for the opening of a new school. The ceremony is chaotic, but beautiful. There were traditional dances intertwined through speeches of the village dignitaries as well as the board members of Mali Rising.I slowly lost interest during the painstaking translations from English to Bambara and reverted to studying the faces of those in the large crowd circled around us.
Can't Travel to Mali? Three Films That Take You There
5 Things You (Probably) Don't Know About Mali
Behind the Scenes Photos from Mali Trip
Whenever we go to Mali, we come back with hundreds...thousands...of great photos. This Friday, we thought we'd share a few of the more candid shots of life in Mali that show perhaps a bit more of what life is like outside of the schoolroom. We hope you'll see some of the beauty of real life in Mali.
A Taste of Mali Here at Home
Being a High School Student in Mali
This year, Mali Rising began providing scholarships to some of our most outstanding middle school graduates. These scholarships include a chance to attend vocational training or a chance to go on to high school. We asked our current Communications Intern, Salifou, to describe what high school is like for a young Malian.
Enter the Modern Music of Mali
By Salifou Fofana, Mali Rising Intern
We all have our gateway when facing stress or difficult time in life. While for some people it is going on a hike, cry, or scream it out, my favorite thing to do when I am under pressure or facing an important moment is to put my headphones on and listen to my favorite artist Sidiki Diabate.
While Sidiki Diabate is unknown for some of you, he is one of the hottest artists in Africa now. He sings different types of genre on different types of traditional instruments. The reason I like to listen to his songs before taking an exam or when I feel like procrastinating my homework, or even when I am concern about my future is because his songs awaken my conscience and remind me of where I come from, and why I came to the United States in the first place.
The other reason I love listening to Sidiki Diabate is that it makes me proud to see my fellow citizen having such a success worldwide and representing my country at the Grammys. Because of him, many people are starting to know more about our music and learn that we have a long history of African music.
His hit song “fais moi confiance”, with more than 10 million views on YouTube is a beautiful love song with dancing rhythm at the same time. In this song he asks his love to trust him and not get mad. My favorite song of his is “Douaou diabira”, which means in Bambara prayer has payed. In this song, he talks about how he was expelled from the art school of Bamako because he only has 9 fingers instead of ten. He thanks God and his parents for helping him to become a renowned musician with only nine fingers.
I think what people like about his music is that they can relate to his songs. We have all once lived a passionate love. We have all overcome a difficulty, we had never thought to overcome if it were not for god. So, if you want to find yourself a new gateway, or feel the need to dance on a new song you have never heard I suggest you to listen to Sidiki Diabate. I promise you! You are going to fall in love with songs.
Here are several other links to some of his famous songs:
