Jul 8th, 2008 · The son of great Malian bluesman Ali Farka Toure grew up secretly learning to play the guitar. Now he has his own music and his own style. He performs with Mama Sissoko on ngoni, a West African ancestor of the banjo.
Jul 1st, 2007 · Laura Bush has just completed a tour of Africa, stopping at a school in Bamako, Mali. The American Embassy there helped to spruce up the school before her arrival.
Oct 25th, 2006 · Malian singer-songwriter Salif Keita is a pioneer of African popular music who sings about racism and political struggle. Independent producer Reese Erlich goes to Bamako, Mali, to gauge the impact of Keita's music on the people of Mali and his role in the birth of the Afro-Pop sound.
Sep 19th, 2005 · Blindness No Barrier: Music of Amadou and Mariam September 19, 2005 · Malian performers Amadou and Mariam met during the 1970s at the Institute for the Young Blind of Mali. The husband-and-wife team have overcome numerous obstacles, from blindness to living under a military dictatorship. Banning Eyre reviews their CD, Dimanche a Bamako. They began a U.S. tour this week.