Salif Keita

Salif Keïta (born 25 August 1949) is a Malian singer-songwriter known as the "Golden Voice of Africa". He belongs to the Keita royal family, which claims descent from Sundiata Keita, the founder of the Mali Empire.

Early life

Despite this noble lineage, Keita was rejected by his family and shunned by his community because of his albinism, seen as a bad omen in Mandinka culture. Raised Muslim, he attended an Islamic school where his Qur’an teacher’s singing influenced him. As a teenager, he chose to pursue music, which further alienated him from his family since his noble status forbade such work.

In 1968, Keita left Djoliba for Bamako and joined the government-backed Super Rail Band de Bamako. He moved to the group Les Ambassadeurs in 1973. During the mid-1970s, political unrest forced Keita and his bandmates to flee Mali. They settled in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where they struggled financially, often renting equipment for shows.

Career

Renamed Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux, the band gained international fame by the late 1970s. Their 1978 album Mandjou became an overnight success in West Africa. Keita composed the title track as a praise song for Guinea’s President Sékou Touré, who had made him an Officer of Guinea’s National Order of Merit in 1976. By the time the song was released, Touré had become an authoritarian ruler, but Keita still performs rearranged versions of "Mandjou".

Keita moved to Paris in 1984 to reach a wider audience and start a solo career. His music blended traditional West African styles with European and American influences. The 1987 album Soro, produced by Ibrahima Sylla, was his international breakthrough. It featured rolling rhythms, nasal female backup choirs, and traditional Malian percussion.

Common instruments in his work include balafons, djembes, guitars, koras, organs, saxophones, and synthesizers. He performed at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute in 1988, calling for Mandela’s release. In 1990, he contributed "Begin the Beguine" to the Red Hot + Blue AIDS benefit album.

Keita found success in Europe as a world music star, though his work was sometimes criticized for over-polished production. Around 2000, he returned to live and record in Bamako. His 2002 album Moffou was hailed as his best in years, and he built a recording studio there, used for 2005’s M’Bemba.