SANATA DOUMBIA, BUDDING TALENT
A climbing heiress

She is about to explode on the musical scene with a test which will surely seduce the music lovers. Her name is Sanata Doumbia and she’s the daughter of the great Sali Sidibé of Wassoulou. And she’s anxious to prove it with "Mankoutou".
"Mankoutou" means "reputation". And it is the generic title of the first step of a very young revelation of the Malian music. She looks really good and she is not unknown of the Malian musical scene because she was already highlighted, chorus and choreography, by the sides of her mother, the diva Salimata called Sali Sidibé. She inherited the talent. And Sanata proves it with eloquence and skill on "Mankoutou", an album of eight titles produced by Mali K7 SA which will also take care of the distribution. The young Sanata does not like being identified to her mother. "I am Sanata, I’d like the music lovers to remember that, I certainly profited from the experiences of my mother but I intend to trace my own way" she explains without complex.
"She did not want to do anything in haste. She composed and recomposed her songs subjected to the criticism of her mother and of several tenors of the Malian music ", explains Mr. Modibo Diabaté, her mentor and father-in-law who took an active part in the conception of the work. Prepared under the crook of the great player of donso n’goni, Harouna Samaké, the opus was arranged by Baïny Koïta; A supplementary asset.
Mankoutou, Denko, Kèrèfè kuma, Ikatel, Muso kantigui… are tracks to be enjoyed on this album. Muso kantigui is a homage to her mother, to Oumou Sangaré and to all the artists of Wassoulou. "Although I’m the author-composer of the album, my mother brought me a priceless contribution in this work. Just like Oumou Sangaré who encouraged me all the long to work to concretize my talent", explains Sanata called Santal. It is necessary to stress that she interprets "Kodumanba", one of the most beautiful compositions of the album, in duet with Sali Sidibé.
Mankoutou is an album full of wisdom. It explains the social engagement of the young artist. The title of the opus, Mankoutou, means a lot concerning this engagement. Indeed, in this song, she rises against the gossiping, the selfishness and the hypocrisy of which some use to disparage and tarnish the image of those they consider as being their rivals. In Denko, she militates for the promotion and the protection of the rights of the Child. "The child belongs to everyone. In this title, I pay tribute to S.O.S Sanankoroba and to the Foundation for Childhood. It is not an obliging publicity for Mrs. Touré Lobbo Traoré, the wife of the chief of State. It is just a right recognition of the immense efforts done by her Foundation in favour of the full blooming of the mother and of the child and also for the relieving the most stripped people of the country", explains the budding talent.
She’s also anxious of raising any ambiguity concerning the track dedicated to Ikatel. "I did not negotiate anything with Ikatel even if I would not sneeze at its support. I dedicated this song to it because this company has popularized the telephone which is now almost within the reach of a great part of the Malians. To have a mobile phone is not any more a luxury in Mali thanks to this operator of mobile telephony. What is likely to bring people closer, to consolidate the family, professional relations …", she specifies; without forgetting that a supported homage is paid to the media through the radios.
Even if she nourishes today a great ambition and a devouring passion for music, Sanata was not "hot" for an artistic career. In fact, she was interested in studies, unfortunately stopped in 8th fundamental year. But, in search of heiress to take back her torch, Sali was intractable. Single daughter, Santal did not have any more the choice. Her training starts with courses of choreography under the crook of Amadou Traoré "Ades" in order to help her to overcome her timidity and her complex.
That’s how people discover her by the sides of her mother in her legendary clip "Nakanyagami". Gradually, Sanata carried on in her own sweet way under the crook of Modibo Diabaté, Harouna Samaké and under the approving glance of her mother. She accompanies this one in her tours in the Centre and in the West of Africa. This enabled her to improve and to start composing the titles of her first attempt.
At 25 years, the native of Bougouni awaits much of the first work of a career which seems rather promising. "As a worthy heiress of the talented artists like Oumou Sangaré, Sali Sidibé…, I aspire to their notoriety. And this album is a decisive stage in my search of success and notoriety. This is why I did not spare anything so that it can satisfy the music lovers ", Sanata hopes. The quality of the product is undeniable. And everybody can be satisfied from the fanatics of the music of Wassoulou to the rastas passing by the fans of Mandingo zouk. That’s enough to bring her "the phenomenal success» of which she dreams so much.
This heiress of the divas especially wishes to benefit from the fruits of this probable success. An aspiration threatened by piracy. "I’m scared of piracy. I think that the authorities did not find the good method yet to fight this organized crime. In my opinion, it is no use to seize the cassettes and to burn them whereas the pirates are free to continue their crime. If a drug dealer is captured, does one just confiscate the seizure and leave the dealer free? And yet the pirate is a criminal like the dealer ".
If Sanata naturally rely on the blessing of her godfathers and godmothers and on the support of the press to help her to carry out her ambitions, she does not forget the perspicacity of the music lovers to help her to live of her talent by buying her legal cassettes. A noble request!
King Moseto

Yalomba in Womex
Definitely, Adama Yalomba is on the road to success. A few days only after the release of her album, the child of Ké-Macina was selected for the edition 2004 of the "Womex music expo". A planetary event considered as the living room of all the music of the world and which will be held in Essen in (Germany) from October the 26th to October the 31st, 2004. Yalomba appears among the 36 prizes winner retained out of approximately 500 candidates. It should be stressed that the Womex is a major event which is used as a springboard for the promotion of the artists in Europe and in the world. Indeed, it receives 2 000 professionals of the world music and more than 80 countries take part in the exhibition. Like the other years, Mali K7 will be present on the stand of the C.F.C.

Lobi seduces Créteil
Lobi Traoré was in Creteil on June 23rd; an unforgettable concert in a suburbs conquered by the talent of the Bambara bluesman. The first part of this spectacle was ensured by Amkoullel and Abba, two young rappers of the capital. This triumphal concert will be followed, in September and October, by a European tour. It can be said that, thanks to Mali K7, the international career of Lobi Traoré is stimulated again.

The original trio
Mali had the place of honour during the celebration of the festival of music in Paris. Indeed, on June 21st in the 20th district, Amkoullel rapped with Cheick Tidiane Seck and Keziah Jones. A magic and original trio which kept breathless the massive public of the Parisian streets. It should be recalled that Toumani Sangaré and Phil.B were at the festival. The handsome young man of the Malian rap, Amkoullel, much awaited in Bamako for his concert in Luna Park, will also be in concert on October 16th, 2004 in Toulouse where he will share the scene with Zebda; a spectacle not to miss if you are near Toulouse on next October 16th.