Edition 46: Spring 2009

Mali’s top female vocalist, Oumou Sangare, is back with a glorious new album, says Emma Gregg.

Gentle chants, rolling percussion and lilting call-and-response choruses: these are the trademarks of the Sangare sound. But behind the soft melodies lies a serious message: Sangare is an outspoken advocate of feminine empowerment and a tireless campaigner on behalf of disadvantaged children.

The fact that Sangare’s own childhood was fraught with difficulty lends her words extra weight. She was just two years old when her father walked out on his young family, leaving her mother to scrape together a living by singing at weddings and naming ceremonies. By the age of thirteen, Oumou was expected to earn her own keep. “That’s what has given me strength in my life,” she says. “I can face any obstacle.”

Truly multidimensional, Sangare owns a farm, a hotel and an import business, supplying Mali with affordable 4WDs from China. She feels her entrepreneurial activities match her musical message perfectly, inspiring other West African women to aim high. “I make the most of my fame,” she explains. “My name sells things, and it makes me proud to be able to help create jobs for people.”

Visitors to Bamako can immerse themselves in the Oumou experience by staying at her hotel, Le Wassulu, or visiting its garden bar, where the diva and her band sometimes perform on Friday nights. On stage, she always strikes an elegant note, favouring flowing boubous, chunky jewellery and big hair.

In April and May, Sangare will be airing music from her excellent new album, Seya, at a handful of live appearances in the UK and Europe. The annual Africa Festival in Würzburg, Germany (www.africafestival.org), a massive four-day event which expects to attract over a million and a half African music fans, could well be one of the best places to catch her.

Seya by Oumou Sangare is out now on World Circuit Records.