The international Guinean, his Excellency Sékouba Bambino was with us last week-end. He was the guest star of a gala which took place on May the 10,2003 at "Bouna espace culturel", in Aci 2000. During this gala where were present Habib Koité, Toumani Diabaté and Bambino, "Le Mag" made an interview with him.

"Le Mag": Hi Bambino, can you tell us what took you here?
Bambino: I at home, there's nothing else to say (he laughs). My friend, a young and dynamic economic operator invited me for the opening of a cultural space from which he is the promoter and bears the name of his father. I come to testify him my friendship and bring my support to this private initiative that enriches the exchanges and cultural promotion support spaces. Our countries are full of talents, but the structures are missing. As the government can not do every thing we must encourage private initiatives.

Since a few weeks, a track of Africando's next album is on the radio. Bambino and Africando, is it from now on a marriage?
yes! Ibrahima Sylla, who is at the same time my producer and the producer of Africando also thought it good to make me enter the band. For the time being, every thing is all right. To speak about the track (young woman in Soussou), I chose to sing in Soussou because there was a lot a pressure on me. My friends didn't understand why I was not singing in Soussou and the fact is that I don't speak this language which from my country. I make the effort even if the pronunciation is not perfect. It's a wink that will go all around the world. I'm sure of it.

Bambino - Bembeya, Bambino - Africando, Bambino in solo: how do manage all this?
I admit that it's not easy. But thanks to God, I manage to get out of it. For example, the band has been invited to Rabat (Morocco) for the wedding of his majesty the king Mohamed VI. Before the information arrives to me, I signed a contract in Italy (Turin's opera) and as the two concerts were taking place the same day, I couldn't go to Morocco. The band made a good concert without Bambino and Bambino was the first African to sing in Turin's opera.

You have had a solo career for ten years now, haven't you ever think to make a tour in Africa to celebrate the event?
I thought to it during a long time but the sponsoring in Africa is just beginning. It's not easy at all to mobilise a capital to make an African tour. The only sponsors available for this kind of manifestation are the tobacco sellers, and rare are the countries which allow tobacco advertisings on show places. I keep on hoping that one day I will do it. I'm sure of it. We are preparing the ten years of Bambino in Conakry. It will be celebrated in June if every thing is all right. For the time being, we don't know if there will be other countries of the area like Mali, Burkina Faso or Senegal. The future album of Africando will also soon be on the market. We don't know yet the planning of the tour. We'll (Africando) see it on our return from Cameroon where we are invited for the national feast of the country.

Bambino and religion?
I'm the namesake of Cheick Cherif Haidara, a scholarly of Kankan. I'm a believer, a Muslim. I teach my children the virtues of Islam every day. I think that my religious faith helps me to pass some difficult moments of life.

As you speak of difficulties, what are the solutions you have found to fight piracy?
I curse pirates every day. We can not do every thing. Even in a band, the tasks are shared by the musicians. Then we have the ones who sing and the ones who plays of an instrument. For example, I know how to sing. Some others are producers; some make the distribution, the management and the promotion. We invite the authorities and our fans to protect our interests otherwise; the African music has no future. We leave our wives and children to go on tour and for recordings in studios and other people benefit of the fruits of our hard work.

The word of the end?
I greet all my Malian brothers. I tell them that I'm always glad to come in my country, the Mali. I proud of being of this people. And I take advantage of the opportunity once again to ask to our fans to help us to fight piracy by buy legal tapes and cd.

The meeting of the Giants.
The inauguration of the cultural space "Bouna" favoured the meeting of two giants of the African music: Sékouba Bambino and Habib Koité. Even if these two sacred monsters have a big esteem for each other, they have never met otherwise than through their music. When two stars meet, anecdotes rain like music notes. Sékouba then reveal to Habib that one of his son an handicapped who is presently in re-education is one of his biggest fan." When he listened to your album Samara Bulama, he told me: Daddy, Habib is a great artist!" said Bambino. This son of Bambino has a real artistic talents , he composed in French "Promesse" of the last album "Sinikan" of his father and we hear his voice in "Nimafèlé" (a song dedicated to children who are soldiers and condemning wars which are the basis of all the tragedies of the African continent). The king of the Dansa, Habib Koité, said he was very glad to meet his brother Bambino. He gave him copies of each of his album for their son who has enough talent to follow his fathers 'steps.

Africando
For 10 years, Africando has been pursuing it tireless seek, sincere and joyful, to unite Africa and all her Diaspora through Afro-Cuban music. This why because of Papa Wemba absence due to his arrest in France for visa traffic, the producer called Nyboma to enhance the brilliance of his album Martina which will be on sell on May the 29, 2003. An ambitious and top of the range project, Africando is a real Transatlantic hyphen.