Mali's Musical Capital

by Bill Lorand

Exploring the Afropop Vibe in Bamako

From the moment you set foot in Mali, there is vibe and music all around you. Bamako seems a fitting place to start (its name is even percussive: BAM-a-ko), as it has become one of the leading West African cities for musical exploration with its public open-air performers and a host of nightclubs that feature a who's who of "Afropop" on a weekly basis. Here, let's let Our Man in Africa for the The New York Times set the geographic scene: "Bamako, [is] a hot, dusty city that sprawls along both banks of the Niger River in southern Mali, near the border with Guinea. Although it is the capital of the former French colony and has a population estimated at more than a million, in many respects the city feels like an overgrown village, with a handful of high-rises along the wide and murky Niger, goats grazing at roadside and a sprawling market, the Grand Marché, filling much of downtown."

You will likely find Bamako safer than most other West African cities, with a music scene that doesn't usually start until 11p and can go as late as 5 am. While a lot of the city streets are nameless, the taxi drivers usually know the local hotspots quite well. Music clubs run the gamut in this cultural capital; some like Le Hogon are flashy and finely furnished, others throw a Dogon style thatched roof over a corner watering hole...but everywhere the music flows like wine and the drums echo thru the streets. And the performers are top-notch: all the heavy hitters from Senegal to Nigeria come thru and play venues across the city with names like Savana, Djembe, Cheval Blanc, and Lysee.

A must on the itinerary is the Hotel Wasulu, owned by the renowned singer Oumou Sangare of the Wassoulou region. She often headlines at her own showroom, singing songs of social justice in a sensuous and husky voice. After the set, you can wind down in one of the hotel rooms that are named after famous Mali musicians, and plot the next stops of your musical tour.

Trekking to The Festival in the Desert

Note: Another highly touted musical destination is the renowned Festival in the Desert which takes place in January in the town of Essakane, 60km from the ancient trading center of Timbuktu. More info is available at www.festivalinthedesert.org

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