This article was translated automatically by AI.
Just a few days earlier, Diawara had performed at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Though the nominated singer missed out on an award, she wrote in a Facebook post that while it hadn't worked out this time, she would – inshallah – be picking up a Grammy next time.
The 37-year-old African music icon is not lacking in self-confidence. And she needs more than enough of it in her line of business. Gifted with a voice that ranges from a smoky alto to a bright, clear soprano, she accompanies herself on electric guitar when she performs – an instrument that, on the world's stages, is still played mainly by men.
With her four musicians – Yacouba Kone on guitar, Sekou Bah on bass, Jean Baptiste Gbadoe on drums and Arecio Smith on keyboards – she delivered a stage show in which her African roots blend musically with Western rock, pop and folk traditions. The explanations of the lyrics that Fatou – as her friends call her – offered the audience in English were gratefully received, since the singer performs her songs in her native language, Bambara. They address the right to education, to go to school, and the right to a happy life, as well as African cultural traditions. "Food, music, celebrating are part of it. So are musical instruments that are many centuries old. We can be proud of that!" With words like these, Diawara also bolsters the self-confidence of her own compatriots, while at the same time trying, in her concerts, to present Africa in a different light than merely that of horror headlines.
Alongside rhythmically rousing rock ballads, it was above all her solo numbers, in which she enchanted the audience with her voice and her own guitar accompaniment, that stood out. Here she struck a particularly fine balance between traditional African musical forms and her own lyrical, rock-inflected interpretation. Watching how completely she loses herself in her guitar solos, with contentment and deeply felt joy reflected in her face, was simply magical.
Her stage outfit – a modern take on traditional African robes – is as much a trademark as her shell-adorned dreadlocks. This, too, expresses the boundary-crossing nature of this artist, who is thrilling audiences worldwide with her new album "Fenfo", from which several tracks were performed.
We would be delighted if you shared this article with your acquaintances and friends.
Published in European Cultural News (ISSN 2308-085X) on 18 February 2019
https://european-cultural-news.com/en/africa-meets-rock-and-pop/59649/
