Mali without music

[Velvet]

This is remarkably sad and unjust. Mali is the musical soul of our planet, and religious zealots are strangling it.

I'm so glad I was lucky enough to visit when it was safer. I hope hope hope it becomes safe there again.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2013/01/21/mali-music.html

Musicians in Mali are defying militants in the North who have declared Shariah law and banned all music but the Islamic call to prayer.

Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara has gathered together a group of 40 of the African nation's top musicians to record the song Mali-ko (Peace) and appeal for an end to the current conflict, believed to be fostered by al-Qaeda sympathizers.

The group, dubbed Voices United for Mali, includes internationally renowned singers and artists like Amadou and Mariam, Oumou Sangaré, Vieux Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté, as well as young musicians just beginning gain renown in their country.

The culture of the west African nation is musically rich, with many local musicians earning a living from playing at weddings, funerals, festivals and community events. However, many have fled south to Mali’s capital of Bamako or to refugee camps in southeastern neighbour Burkina Faso in order to avoid the conflict.

Musical culture key for West African nation

Strict Islamist militants imposing a version of Shariah law first seized control of major towns across northern Mali last March. They have since solidified their grip on the North and forced hundreds of thousands to flee.

Music has always been a resource and a type of ambassador for Mali, British journalist Andy Morgan told CBC News.

Morgan is writing a report on music, culture and the effect of the crisis in Mali. He says musicians he's interviewed say the country's diverse culture — created from a mix of tribes — revolves around music and art.

“Basically, Malian society cannot exist without music,†he said.

“It is strange for us to understand the extent to which it is impossible to listen or play music in the North. You can’t do it anymore. The only way you can play it is to drive miles out into the desert, where you are beyond the earshot of anyone."

The current conflict has threatened music throughout the country, including forcing Mali's renowned Festival in the Desert to relocate. According to Morgan, festival director Manny Ansar is among those speaking out against the music ban and in support of his country's culture.

The latest edition of Festival in the Desert, which attracted 700-800 international guests three years ago, is being held “in exile," with a caravan of artists advocating peace and national unity travelling from Mauritania to Mali and onto the Tuareg refugee camps in Burkina Faso.

The festival has traditionally showcased Tuareg and other traditional forms of music and also attracted international stars such as U2 frontman Bono.

French troops are currently on the ground in Mali and helped Malian troops reclaim the town of Diabaly, located about 460 kilometres north of the capital.

[edger]

Sigh...

[Big Wooly Mammoth]

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the situation in Mali will be cleared up anytime soon. The rest of the world, basically, ignored the coup which set the stage and allowed the current situation to happen. i.e. the takeover by the fundamentalists.

Tinarwien is the only Malian band that I really know of. I saw them at Solidays last year, in Paris, and at Grassroots in 2010. Two quite different festivals, yet they fit into each one of them perfectly. they are worth checking out if you've never heard them before.

Velvet - did you guys go to Mali on your African trip last year?

[jaybone]

Crazy! Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

[Velvet]

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the situation in Mali will be cleared up anytime soon. The rest of the world, basically, ignored the coup which set the stage and allowed the current situation to happen. i.e. the takeover by the fundamentalists.

Tinarwien is the only Malian band that I really know of. I saw them at Solidays last year, in Paris, and at Grassroots in 2010. Two quite different festivals, yet they fit into each one of them perfectly. they are worth checking out if you've never heard them before.

Velvet - did you guys go to Mali on your African trip last year?

The late Ali Farka Toure is the biggest Malian musician but several named in the article above (Amadou and Miriam, Toumani Diabate) are widely known.

Our previous African trip was to Mali; last May we were in S. Africa/Namibia/Zambia.

Mali is hands down the most remarkable place I've visited. My heart twists when I think of what's going on there now.

[mark tonin]

:(

[Velvet]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2013/01/25/mali-music.html

As Islamic radicals clamp down on much of Mali, the rich musical culture of the country is threatened.

There are reports of instruments being broken and music being banned in the north, except the singing of verses of the Qur'an.

Canada is weighing whether to extend its mission in Mali, as French and African troops move into the nation to push back Islamic rebels who have taken the north of the country.

Many musicians have fled the country and are in refugee camps in bordering Burkino Faso.

In any case, the conflict has robbed most of them of their livelihood, as they can no longer play at weddings and festivals.

Ibrahima Diabaté, a Malian musician now living in Montreal, says he’s afraid his homeland’s vibrant musical culture is being destroyed.

"Seeing my country in this situation is really hard for me. It's unbelievable," he told CBC News.

A group of 40 of the Mali’s top artists, led by singer Fatoumata Diawara, have recorded a song and video, title Mali-Ko, that is a plea for peace.

"People are looking up to musicians for a sense of direction," Diawara said, highlighting the importance of music to the people of Mali.

Even the acclaimed Festival in the Desert, an annual celebration of Tuareg culture that usually is held outside of Bamiko, is going into exile this year.

Last year, U2's Bono played at the festival alongside the well-known band Tinariwen and Indo-Canadian singer Kiran Ahluwalia also had a spot.

"I immediately felt the warmth of the audience,†she said. “It was a very very hospitable crowd. The arts are a major life nourishment. And that part of life is no longer being nourished."

Instead the festival is in exile, with caravans of performers heading to a spot in Burkino Faso to catch up with fellow musicians forced out of the country.

[phorbesie]

Fleeing Islamist insurgents burnt two buildings containing priceless books as French-led troops approached, says mayor

Islamist insurgents retreating from the ancient Saharan city of Timbuktu have set fire to a library containing thousands of priceless ancient manuscripts, some dating back to the 13th century, in what the town’s mayor described as a “devastating blow†to world heritage.

Hallé Ousmani Cissé told the Guardian that al-Qaida-allied fighters on Saturday torched two buildings where the manuscripts were being kept. They also burned down the town hall and governor’s office, and shot dead a man who was celebrating the arrival of the French military.

French troops and the Malian army reached the gates of Timbuktu on Saturday and secured the town’s airport. But they appear to have got there too late to save the leather-bound manuscripts, which were a unique record of sub-Saharan Africa’s medieval history.

“It’s true. They have burned them,†Ciffe said, in a phone interview from Mali’s capital, Bamako. “They also burned down several buildings. There was one guy who was celebrating in the street and they shot him.â€

He added: “This is terrible news. The manuscripts were a part not only of Mali’s heritage but the world’s heritage. By destroying them they threaten the world. We have to kill all of the rebels in the north.â€

The manuscripts were being kept in two different locations – an old warehouse and a new South Africa-funded research centre, the Ahmed Baba Institute. Both buildings were burned down, the mayor said. Asked whether any of the manuscripts might have survived, he replied: “I don’t know.â€

The manuscripts survived for centuries in Timbuktu on the edge of the Sahara hidden in wooden trunks, boxes beneath the sand and caves. The majority are written in Arabic, with some in African languages, and one in Hebrew, and cover a diverse range of topics including astronomy, poetry, music, medicine and women’s rights. The oldest dated from 1204.

Seydo Traoré, a researcher at the Ahmed Baba Institute, who fled Timbuktu last year shortly before the rebels arrived, said only a fraction of the manuscripts had been digitised.

“They cover geography, history and religion. We had one in Turkish. We don’t know what it said.â€

Traoré told the Guardian that some rebels had been sleeping in the new institute where some of the manuscripts were kept. He said that they had also destroyed the shrines of more than 300 Sufi saints dotted around the city. “They were the masters of the place,†he said.

© Guardian News and Media 2013

[jaybone]

This situation was the first segment on CBC's Q today.

You can listen here

[AD]

Did the Guardian confirm that story? Earlier today I read that the only source was the mayor, who reported the Timbuktu story from Bamako. Hoping story isn't true.

[AD]

Most of documents reported burned survived a-ok after being hidden well before attacks.

[Cosmic ChrisC]

The late Ali Farka Toure is the biggest Malian musician but several named in the article above (Amadou and Miriam, Toumani Diabate) are widely known.

I just read that Vieux Farka Touré (son of Ali Farka Touré) is playing at Zaphods on July 1st. Do you know anything about him Velvet? That would probably be a pretty good show to see.

He's playing at 2pm...sounds like a great thing to do on Canada Day!

[Cosmic ChrisC]

Ticket info:

http://www.ticketweb.ca/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=3529234&pl=Zaphod

[Velvet]

The late Ali Farka Toure is the biggest Malian musician but several named in the article above (Amadou and Miriam' date=' Toumani Diabate) are widely known.

[/quote']

I just read that Vieux Farka Touré (son of Ali Farka Touré) is playing at Zaphods on July 1st. Do you know anything about him Velvet? That would probably be a pretty good show to see.

He's playing at 2pm...sounds like a great thing to do on Canada Day!

We saw him at the Ottawa Folkfest back when they were at the Brittania Park site.

The show wasn't that exciting as far as I recall. Thanks for the heads up though.

I'm hoping to spend Canada Day outside in the sun!

[Cosmic ChrisC]

Yeah, I usually look for outdoor shows on Canada Day...like the jazzfest free shows. So the above show would be a rainy day show for me.