Toumani Diabaté

Toumani Diabaté is a master kora player, singer and composer from Mali, West Africa. He is a member of the Diabaté family, a hereditary dynasty of kora players. He began his career playing kora at the age of five and made his first recordings in the early 1970s.

His standout albums include Kaira (1993), Boulevard de l'Independance (1995), and The Mandé Variations (2008). He has also collaborated on many albums with artists such as Taj Mahal, Damon Albarn, and Herbie Hancock. Notable songs include “Kaira”, “Sona M'Bemba”, and “Djanfa Magni”.

An interesting fact about Toumani Diabaté is that he was awarded the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government in 2003. This is one of the highest honors given in France to recognize significant contributions to the arts.