The troubadour-like tradition of the Malian griots has been passed down from generation to generation. In recent decades, a number of these griots have also gained fame beyond the country's borders. Singer and businesswoman Oumou Sangaré is one of the most prominent examples. After some 200,000 cassettes of her debut
Moussolou were sold in 1989, she rapidly conquered the rest of the world. She uses
… the wide reach that she owes to her fame to fight against, among other things, the widespread polygamy in her homeland. On Mogoya (2017) she experimented on it with electronics and beats, but Timbuktu shows a return to a more traditional sound. It's a danceable, upbeat and above all accessible album, on which catchy guitar and bass melodies dominate. Once again, there is a social message in her work and she sings of the pitiful state of the once glorious city of Timbuktu. (JV)more
