CHEICK O DIABATE
The passion of the strings

He is one of the precursors of the modernization of the Malian traditional music with Modibo Kouyaté, Bouba Diabaté… Cheick Diabaté is today one of the best guitarists of Mali even of the continent. Between the guitar and him, it is a marriage of… passion!
"I discovered the guitar with my elder (his cousin) Modibo Kouyaté, clerk of the State in service at Mopti. It is by this virtuoso of the guitar and member of the band the Kanaga of Mopti that I spent my holidays. I took advantages from his absence to play some notes", remembers Cheick Diabaté, one of the best guitarists of his generation. He was caught so much by the passion for this instrument that he wanted to manufacture it himself by using old sieve and iron wire.
To continue his training, the young griot was ready to any kind of sacrifices. He daily walked kilometres to join a group of Apollo. Better, he used to borrow the guitar of a neighbour of the district every weekend (from Saturday to Sunday until 10 ten o’clock) against two packages of Cigarettes “Gauloises”. "I have not forgotten yet the day I received my first guitar. It is my Modibo cousin, who was living at that time in France, who offered it to me. It was in Fana (city located at 130 km from Bamako) where we had joined for a marriage. Only God knows how many kilometres I did this day to show this guitar", tells the child of Segou who’s also the tender husband of the professional singer Naïni Diabaté.
Decided to make career in music, he forgot his shirts and cramps and started to frequent groups which gave him the opportunity to show his rising talent. Very quickly, he is remarked by the stars of the Malian song. A sober way of playing guitar but very effective enables him to be regularly invited on the albums of Amy Koïta and other great artists of the Malian music. In addition to his wife, Naïni Diabaté, and Amy Koïta, Cheick put its talent at the service of many other professional singers like Tata Bambo Kouyaté, Mah Kouyaté, Nahawa Doumbia, Babani Koné, Nènè Souragassi, Awa Jolie Diabaté, Ténin Damba…
Never missing of creative initiatives, the former attacker of the Biton of Segou (the football team of the City of the Balanzas) works for the modernization of the traditional music which is not a good thing for a lot of people. But, Cheick managed to convince the more sceptics with Denko of Naïni Diabaté. His concept then is appreciated and seduced other stars like Amy Koïta and young revelations such as late Awa Jolie Diabaté. This capacity to realise musical arrangement offers him other opportunities to carry out new musical experiments. Mbaye Boubacar Diarra, the creator of "Etoiles du Mali" and "Top Etoiles", entrusts him the arrangement of the works of his guests in order to adapt them to the concept of his emissions. He is also requested by Showbiz Abidjan to bring his key to the next album of Mawa Traoré. Always coveted by the stars of the Malian music, Cheick Diabaté militates today in favour of the promotion and of the framing of the young talents engaged on the traces of their parents. They are his children, those of his brother (Modibo), those of Samba Diallo and Toumani Diabaté… These early talents, who will soon be equipped with materials by their friend ATT, already make people speak positively about them after several brilliant performances during official ceremonies. "We will soon release an album. The model is already finished and the result is surprising. I am sure that these children will surprise again a lot of people", ensures their Dad. "I do my best to frame them because I don’t want them to experiment the same difficulties as their parents", he explains.
"Thanks to God, music brought me every. Starting with the respect and the regard of the others ", Cheick Diabaté, who does not like ingratitude, recognizes. "It is thanks to the guitar that I met Naïni who later became my wife. Thus music enabled me to found a family. And you know that in our culture, that is synonymous of social stability ", he adds. Apart from the lots, cars… offered here and there by the Diatiguis, the excellent guitarist drew other profits from his art. "I taught the guitar to my brothers and they are not jobless today. I also could insert friends and close relations in the environment of the show biz in order to allow them to earn their living ".
Pioneer of the modernization of the traditional music, Cheick draws today the attention of the young people on the need of not losing one’s soul in this undertaking. "Modernization must be well thought in order to not carry damages to this traditional richness because we must keep it jealously. Unfortunately, a lot of young artists neglect this essential aspect ", he recalls. He particularly wishes to preserve legendary sources like Duga, Djanjo, Tara, Macki… because "they are holy monuments of our musical inheritance. One should not be allowed to interpret them anyhow. Everyone can be inspired of them, but nobody must be authorized to deform them ", beseeches the guard of this holy temple.

Sekouba Bambino at least!
It was impatiently awaited and it finally arrived, the new album of the international Guinean will be simultaneously put on sale next Wednesday in Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Senegal. An album of eight titles cut to the size of the event: the 15e birthday of his solo career. Happy birthday, Bamako jolie den, Dalaka, Bambino show, Telegramme, Mbambou are titles of this wonderful album.