It’s difficult to believe, but after performing for more than forty years and now in his sixties, Salif Keita, the so-called Golden Voice of Africa, seems to be getting better and better. His latest album La différence has already become my favourite of this year, and after seeing him in an outdoor concert a week ago in Cádiz I can attest to the truly transcendental nature of his music when played live.
Salif Keita’s remarkable story is now well-known. Not only was he ostracised by his family and community for being an albino and the bad luck it was said to bring in Mandingo culture, but he was also a direct descendant of of the founder of the Mali Empire, Sundiata Keita, and therefore should never have become a singer under the Malian caste system which states that such a role is inappropriate for someone with royal heritage. Despite such adverse beginnings, he managed to counter the discrimination by moving first to Bamako, the capital of Mali, and then in the 1980s to Paris.
Salif Keita’s music is largely driven by West African rhythms and dance beats, his soaring vocals and an Islamic spirit, but the influence of north American blues, Afro-Cuban rhythms, soul and reggae can also be heard. His most recent albums over the past decade – La différence, M’Bemba and Moffou – are largely acoustic-based using traditional African instruments, while his earlier albums, especially his breakthrough album in 1987, Soro, are more electric.
This is the official video of the title track of his latest album La différence:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ53rtam4QQ
And this is a documentary in French about the making of the album:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Apf3DXpuiwY
As he sings on La différence he’s black with white skin and black blood, a difference which is beautiful and should be understood in love and peace.
The photos above were taken on 27 May 2010 at the África Vive concert in Cádiz.
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