Salif Keita

Salif Keita

HELLO, MALI
Salif Keita Returns to the Music of Home
Known as "The Golden Voice of Africa," Salif Keita has, since the 1970s, established himself as one of earth's musical treasures and a pioneer of world music. He has brought the sounds and spirit of Mali -- of the Bambara, Malinké, and Soninké people -- to many lands and has collaborated with a wide range of international stars, including rock guitarists Carlos Santana and Vernon Reid and jazz pianist Joe Zawinul. But Keita's work has always been rooted in his homeland, Mali, where life was not always easy for him. He was born an albino, which is considered a bad omen in Malian society, and he was consequently treated harshly by many people, as well as suffering from the fierce African sun. And he was born into an aristocratic family that, owing to tradition, tried to squelch his desire to make music. But Keita forged his own path, and he has grown into a defining symbol of pan-African culture. Moffou, his first CD for Decca Records, is Keita's first all-acoustic release since 1995's Folon. It finds him in the company of longtime musical associates such as guitarists Djelly Moussa Kouyate and Kanté Manfila, as well as new collaborators like Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora. Larry Blumenfeld caught up with Keita in New York to discuss the new CD.

Barnes & Noble.com: Does this recording say something special about Mali?

Salif Keita: In some ways, this album is like all the others I have made. But it is more acoustic, of course, than anything I've done in a long time. In a way, all of my music speaks of Africa, but it also speaks for itself.

B&N.com: By now, Americans are familiar with a good deal of African music. Do you think they know much about contemporary African life?

SK: I'm not really sure. They don't seem to have time or interest to think about Africa. Very few Westerners make an effort to know about Africa. In Africa, we know about the United States -- CNN is everywhere in Africa, even far from the cities -- but Americans do not know about Africa.

B&N.com: What would you want people to understand about life in Mali?

SK: Basically, the Western press attention to Africa always focuses on the negative. When the American press speaks about Africa, they're never speaking about culture or accomplishments. It is always famine, AIDS, violence, political instability....In Europe, the discussions of Africa are always about this crisis or that, and most of the time, in relation to immigration. The goal is to stop immigration. And who are the immigrants? Africans. So it's always either "Crisis" or "Stop!" Really, what Africa needs is infrastructure and aid. If they really wanted to stop immigration, that's what they'd focus on. The reason why Africans leave Africa for the U.S. or Europe is not because they are deprived culturally or socially. They have a very rich culture and a very active social life. They wish to leave because they lack basic resources and opportunities.

B&N.com: Is the Mali of today a very different place than the one you grew up in?

SK: Integration and religious extremism is a product of the misery and poverty that has grown lately. When I was growing up, there were a lot of other kinds of cultural beliefs that were spiritual. Now life is much more dominated by organized religion. That has replaced the more traditional spiritual basis for life. In my music, I try to relate to the real spiritual basis for my life, even if it is an indirect reference.

B&N.com: On the song "Yamore," you collaborate with Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora. How did that come about?

SK: I had done many concerts along with her, and I am a fan of her music. It was a natural development.

B&N.com: Of course, the style of music that she typically sings is quite different than yours. Did that present a challenge?

SK: It wasn't easy, and we really had to work on it. But in the end we found the right balance. In the end, our styles of music are not really that far apart.

B&N.com: In all of your music, but especially here, on an acoustic recording, the calabash [a gourd used for percussion] seems integral to what's going on.

SK: Well, first of all, you can take it on the road with you. But more important, it is like the pulse, the heartbeat of the music.

B&N.com: Moffou, the title of this CD, is also the name of a club you've opened in Bamako, Mali. What does that refer to?

SK: Traditionally, it is the name for a wooden flute that we play to celebrate the harvest each fall. It is made from stalks of wheat, before they turn too dry. It is a sound from my childhood, one that always means something positive. This album is about optimism: Happiness isn't for tomorrow.

B&N.com: I know that you are very involved in the lives of younger Malian and African musicians. Is the environment for making music in Africa different than it was when you were coming up, when you were singing with the Rail Band or Les Ambassadeurs?

SK: It is very different. Before, to be a musician wasn't thought of as a job. But now it is thought of as a profession.

B&N.com: If you were growing up today, would your family have looked differently upon your musical aspirations?

SK: Yes, I think so -- to a certain degree. But you must remember that I am from the countryside, where these types of changes come much more slowly. Things are a little more traditional there. Still, it would be different.

B&N.com: These days, you spend most of your time in Mali, where you grew up. Why have you returned; why do you stay?

SK: Do you think it is easy for the fish to live without water? My country is my water, and I am a fish.

September 2002