Amadou Bagayoko (1954-2025), guitarist, singer and Malian composer of well-known Duema Amadou & Mariam-consider “The Blind couple little” -died 4. April in Bamakou. He was once 70 years outdated.
The singers, who had been married and met when she was once 18, and 21, and the small conventional tune has merged western rocks and lots of different influences to create a fully new sound that was once as wealthy as a laugh. They bought hundreds of thousands of albums with successes similar to Dimanches and Bamako and Sabala.
They visited the sector, opening the Males’s International Cup of 2006. 12 months, last Paralimian video games 2024, making a song on the Nobel High Minister President’s live performance. Uu. Barack Obama and triumph over many awards at the highway.
In spite of good fortune, they’re the opposite tireless activists in desire of Africans with disabilities. They had been well-known and admired of their nation on account of their integrity, and there was once an excessively unhappy loss of life of Amadou.
Like tune and instructor, the writer of the investigation all for Mali, I met and interviewed Amadou a number of occasions. His loss of life publicizes the tip of the generation for the musical area of his nation within the global marketplace.
Who’re Amadou & Mariam?
Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia had been promoters of the Blind Institute in Bamakou, the place they met within the Seventies, after which changed into tune academics. They married in 1980. years and different inseparable, forming Amadou and Mariam Duo.
His successes mixed are the musical traditions of southern Malia, the place they endured (Bougouns, Sikasso), with components of rocks, reggae, Cuban rhythms and others, remodeling them thru their very own ingenuity, but additionally later because of concepts influential manufacturers.
In truth, surnames Bagayoko and Doumbia come from the outdated line (known as Boul) Herreros, items returning on the time of Cara Sunjat Keita, the founding father of Mali Empire in 1235. Los Herreros (Numu) had been regularly tough kings. This commonplace inheritance is essential in its musical synergy.
Amadou Bagayoko
Amadou’s profession covers greater than 5 many years. He began at first of the 70’s, when he performed an electrical guitar in different well-known dance bands of a bit time, like Les Ambassadreurs, led through the mythical singer Sazif Keit.
The army regime of President Moussa Traore, who lasted 23 years, from 1968. till 1991. years, he liked the votes of the substrate, musicians who sang reward folks in energy with flower and strict taste.
The good fortune of those bands dropped on the finish of the 80’s, when a “big blind pair of small appeared.” First of all, there have been simplest two easy votes accompanied through Amadou guitar, recorded within the cassette.
On the finish of the Traore govt, tune amadou and Mariam answered to a brand new spirit of democracy that the Earth longed. There have been many stuff that prominent this duet of different musicians within the area. They weren’t Grilla and their letters spoke in regards to the energy of affection – not anything easy query within the nation the place Polygamy (as much as 4 ladies, as imaginable through Islam) Norma.
The presence at the degree of this pair of blind, lovable, offering mutual reinforce, with their sublime suitable garments, additionally introduced a disabled profile. His melodies had been stuck and cheerful.
I do know Amadou and Mariam
Not too long ago, whilst I reviewed my investigations, I discovered amongst my outdated slides through images that took them, buried in recordsdata. It was once a revelation to peer her once more.
Amadou and Mariam in 1992. in Bamako at the day the writer of this text met. Courtesy of Lucy Duran
I painted a photograph, with their approval, once I met Amadou and Mariam in Bamakou in 1992. It was once within the taking pictures studio now referred to as Bogolan, the place they anticipated some photographs on the time.
The picture presentations a pair in early life with delight and dignity, values which have been consistent in later years for them. In that first assembly, his friendliness, his religion in his tune venture and his resolution to proportion with in all places the target audience, she stuck my consideration.
They didn’t surrender and a bit bit, they constructed a profession, in line with their sound and symbol, which was once and stays distinctive within the number of small tune.
International glory
Towards all forecasts, with the decision, skills, sturdy melodies and just right manufacturing, Amadou and Mariam accomplished nice good fortune at first of the 2000. The album that actually introduced his global profession was once Dimansi and Bamako (Sunday in Bamako), very much produced singer -Songvriter Manu Chao, who had nice global good fortune in her membership album in 1998. years.
Chao contributed a few of these values in Amadou & Mariam songs. Dimanches and Bamako celebrates the full of life marriage ceremony tradition, which might be stored at the streets of Bamako on Sunday, the day when the Civilian Marriage Ceremonies are unfastened. It was once the primary of a number of a hit albums that produced Eu artists similar to Damon Albarn, Main for Blur.
After that assembly in 1992. we met once more a number of occasions, regularly for radio.
Mariam Doumbia (left) comforted Sazif Keita singer all over the funeral for his spouse 6. April. Ousman Makaveli / AFP / Getty Photographs
Amadou was once very respectful and the musician was once admired whose tune got here within the target audience international. He was once cherished and preferred now not just for his ability and musical creativity as a guitarist and composer, but additionally on account of the picture he and Mariam created on degree.
In combination, the values that constitute of their tune are can be remembered: equality, love, perseverance towards incapacity and reality.
