Minata
Kouyaté, Artist
The Diva’s heir apparent
The revelations are not missing for the so admired of the Malian music:
Amy Koïta. Produced
by AKOR (Amy Koïta ORganisation) and distributed by Mali k7 SA,
we can say without hesitating that Minata
Kouyaté is promised to a nice career. Not because of her
siren beauty, but because she has a real talent. A know how that was
quickly noticed by those who had the chance to see and hear her before
the release of her album. This album of eight tracks is about griots,
of their role in community and society.
The social scourges such as jealousy and hypocrisy… also are
critiqued by this young woman who is not kind at all with the Don
Juan. Awaiting the entire album, the young people, and Dance club’s
DJ and the radio animators have chosen Dambé and especially
Mogoya. It’s on this track that one can discover the huge talent
of the young singer. Her entrancing voice, her outstanding charm,
her elegance and her feeling make of our Minata
a sure value for Malian music.
To be born in a family of griots
don’t obligatory rhythms with the profession of artist “I’m
the only one to sing in my family” she said.
“When I was a child, I spend my time singing the hit of
the time and when I went to the market with my mother, I used to sing
praising songs for women who offered me seasoning” she
remembers.
The dream joins the passion to feed the ambition of an artistic career.
She began with her aunt Madam Kouyaté Amy Diabaté and
after she joined the diva of the Badougou-Djoliba, Amy
Koïta, who guides her toward the realisation of her destiny.
Very talented chorus maker, courageous and persevering,
Minata never wanted to skip the stages.
She really took the time to form her voice, her style and her personality.
“I’ve noticed that a lot of talents are broken because
the young precipitate themselves on the stage without being prepared
to it. I wanted to reinforce my knowledge before trying to stand on
my own two feet. I wasn’t in a hurry.” Not surprising
coming from a ball of energy armed with the patience and the serenity
of a long-distance runner.
And when the godmother realised that her filly was now ready to appear
in the musical arena, she didn’t hesitated to give her the means
to practice her knowledge. “Now, I feel ready to give my
vision on the ills affecting our society and make my convictions and
qualities prevail, this why I decided to release a first album.”
explains the daughter-in-law of Amy
Koïta.
This first album is the result of her passion for music, of her theoretical
courses at the national art institute of Bamako and of the experiences
she acquired with her mother in law. Today, our Minata
shows without any complex the heritance of Amy
Koïta, the richness of her compositions and the pertinence
of her themes testify it.
As the other artists, she feels invested of the mission to guide the
music lovers, especially the young ones. “Every one should
profit of his youth. But each must know how to leave his youth without
being exposed to sexual transmitted infections and AIDS. And without
making like a lot of girls today who are going out with men who has
the age of their father just because of their money. When greed gets
over the feelings, it becomes very dangerous because it exposes the
girls to any kind of drama. Prudence, respect and serenity, that’s
what is expected from the youth”, said the new star.
Titles such as "Mogoya" (humanity), "Kanawa" (don’t
go), "Né sirana" (I was scared), "Kamalenba"
(Don Juan) show the struggle of our Minata
who, although she’s a new beginner, is aware of her talent and
also of the danger that mines the career of Malian artists: PIRACY.
“No one escapes to it in Mali”
God protects Minata who already plays
guitar and Kora
very well from the pirates.
His majesty
King took off last Tuesday
for the French capital to animate a concert with Cheick
Tidiane Seck. We have announced you that this concert (see
Mag 31) would take place in the Olympia but finally it will take place
on the same date (next October 18th) at the new morning in Paris.
It will be the first of a long serial of concerts that will take place
on the old continent. He will be back in Bamako on November 10th 2003.
His staff announced the concert of dedication of his album for the
end of November 2003.
After
the huge success of her Italian tour, Rokia
Traoré and her band are back in France where they animated
a concert in Albi (10th), Séte (11th), and Blois (16th). Friday
and Saturday, they made shows in the French capital. After meeting
the success all along their way, they left for Spain where they animated
a concert in Barcelona yesterday. The next is planned for tomorrow
21st October 2003 in Palma.
Oumou
Sangaré took off for some concerts in Europe last Monday;
it’s in prelude of the release of her album “Laban”.
This tour which begins by Italy will permit to the best seller of
album in Mali to recover a health. Her album “Laban” which
won the trophy of gold tape given by Mali k7 SA isn’t still
in sale in Europe, her production firm World Circuit judged the quality
of the product wasn’t good enough. The boss of the firm Nick
Gold was in Bamako a few times ago and proposed to the artist to sell
the product in Europe but after having completed it with songs of
the other albums. Oumou
accepted the deal and the double album will be soon in sale in Europe
for the happiness of thousands of fans.
A
compilation of the best hits of Lobi
Traoré will be put on sale on April 2004. This contract
which has just been signed will allow Lobi
Traoré to revive his international career after an interruption
of three years. It’s clear that the participation of Lobi
to the festival organised by Nantes hall town in last august largely
contributed to the conclusion of this contract.
The
film of Maxi vacances 2003
The second edition of "Maxi Vacances" met it epilogue one
week ago with the prize-giving ceremony. This live emission of the
ORTM is an initiative of the young and dynamic animator of the “chaîne
II”, Amadou Kodio. Mention to the talented Dogônô
and to all his team because there have been a lot of improvement in
the conception, the realisation and especially in the presentation
of this second edition; this is why there was much more candidate
than in the preceding editions. The initiative of Amadou Kodio is
then pertinent because it occupies the youth during the holidays.
The jury certainly has been spoilt for choice because the bands were
all talented and original. An originality which was unfortunately
absent from the names of the bands (Sun Light,
Black Ghost, Spices
Girls…); it’s an aspect that the band leaders should
consider for the next edition.
In any case, the edition 2003 has met all the expectancies because
it gave the youth the occasion to show their artistic creation capacities.
For the next editions, it will be good if Amadou Kodio and his staff
go outside of Bamako in other region to give the opportunity to the
youth there to express their artistic and cultural inspiration and
ambition. It must be thus possible to proceed by regional competitions
and the winners of this phase will then take parts in final that the
region can receive in turn.
