Oumou Sangaré | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Oumou Sangaré performing at the Cambridge Folk Festival in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1968-02-25)25 February 1968 (age 57) |
| Origin | Bamako, Mali |
| Genres | Wassoulou |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Labels | World Circuit |
| Website | oumousangareofficial |
Oumou Sangaré (Fula: umu sangare; born 25 February 1968) is a MalianWassoulou singer ofFula descent.[1] She is often referred to as "The Songbird of Wassoulou".[2]Wassoulou is ahistorical region south of theNiger River, where the music descends from age-old traditional song, often accompanied by acalabash.
Sangaré was born in 1968 to singer Aminata Diakité and Sidiki Sangaré, both of whom originated from the Wassoulou region.[3][4][5] In 1970, her father took a second wife and moved toAbidjan, leaving Sangaré, her mother and her siblings behind inBamako.[4] She began singing in the streets to help her mother, leaving school at an early age to do so.[3][4] Her career began in 1973 when at the age of five she won an inter-kindergarten singing competition inBamako and performed before an audience of several thousand at the Omnisportstadium.[5][6][7] At 16, she went on tour with the percussion group Djoliba, touring in France, Germany, theNetherlands, theCaribbean, and elsewhere.[6] Inspired by her reception on tour, Sangaré returned to Bamako and established her own musical group.[6]
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Sangaré recorded her first album,Moussoulou ("Women"), for malian producer Abdoulaye Samassa (Samassa Records),[8] withAmadou Ba Guindo, a renowned maestro of Malian music. The album was very successful in Africa,[9] with more than 200,000 copies sold.
With the help ofAli Farka Touré, Sangaré signed with the English labelWorld Circuit. They re-released the albumMoussoulou.[10] At the age of 21, she was already a star.
Oumou Sangaré is considered an ambassador of Wassoulou; her music has been inspired by the music and traditional dances of the region. She writes and composes her songs, which often include social criticism, especially concerning women's low status in society.
Since 1990 she has performed at some of the most important venues in the world, such as theMelbourne Opera,Roskilde Festival,Gnaoua World Music Festival,WOMAD,Oslo World Music Festival, and theOpéra de la Monnaie.
Many of Sangaré's songs concern love and marriage, especially freedom of choice in marriage. Her 1989 albumMoussoulou was an unprecedented West African hit. In 1995, she toured withBaaba Maal,Femi Kuti, andBoukman Eksperyans. Other albums includeKo Sira (1993),Worotan (1996), and a 2-CD compilationOumou (2004), all released on World Circuit Records. Sangaré supports the cause of women throughout the world. She was named an ambassador of theFAO in 2003 and won theUNESCO Prize in 2001 and was made aCommander of the Order of Arts and Letters of France in 1998.
Sangaré is featured prominently inThrow Down Your Heart, a 2008 documentary about world-renowned American banjo playerBéla Fleck, and his exploration of the relatively unknown relationship between his instrument and the musical traditions in Africa.
Sangaré contributed vocals to "Imagine" for the 2010Herbie Hancock albumThe Imagine Project, which also featuredSeal,P!nk,India.Arie,Jeff Beck,Konono Nº1 and others.[11]
In 2022, she was cast in her first acting role, playing the title character's grandmother inMaïmouna Doucouré's filmHawa.[12]
Sangaré is an advocate forwomen's rights, opposingchild marriage andpolygamy.[13]
Sangaré is also involved in the world of business, including hotels, agriculture, and automobiles. She has launched a car, the "Oum Sang", manufactured by a Chinese firm and marketed in conjunction with her own company Gonow Oum Sang.[14] She is the owner of the 30-room Hotel Wassoulou in Mali's capital, Bamako, a haven for musicians and her own regular performing space. "I helped build the hotel myself. I did it to show women that you can make your life better by working. And many more are working these days, forming co-operatives to make soap or clothes."
Sangaré has also been agoodwill ambassador for theUnited Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, but says she does not want to be a politician: "While you're an artist, you're free to say what you think; when you're a politician, you follow instructions from higher up."[4]
She is a half-sister of Polish-born actorOmar Sangare.[15]
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