Able to claim both an extraordinary history and a remarkable oeuvre, Salif Keïta, the undimmed star of West African music, says he was “born to create confusion”. As a descendant of Sundiata Keïta, founder of the Mandinka Empire, he bucked the caste system by choosing the profession of singer. On top of that, being born an albino meant ostracism from his tribe, whose members believed that his condition would bring their ruin. Migrating to Baboko, he became the solo singer for Le Super Rail Band du Bamako and also for Les Ambassadeurs. He settled in Paris in 1984, where he caught on and, between 1987 and 1999, released a series of pronouncedly successful, ground-breaking and highly imitated Afropop records (Soró, Kö-Yan, Amen, Folon… The Past, Sosie, Papa).
In the new millennium, acoustic sounds once again started to prevail in West African music. This influenced Salif, who also moved back to Mali. His albums Moffou, M’Bemba and La Différence are dominated by traditional instruments, preserving the memories of Malian music. He plays with a freshness and individual style that only the very greatest are capable of, thus demonstrating that true dance music combines profundity and perspective, both lightness and gravity.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest