They say you can never go home again. But sometimes, it seems, you can. Mali's Salif Keita, celebrated as one of the world's great singers, has managed to do so on his shimmering acoustic album, Moffou; a decided change from the more Westernized efforts of recent years. "I wanted to return to the source, and go back to 'the house,'" he explained. "It's an experience of the heart." That return has been more than just spiritual. After years of living in Europe, Keita now spends a good part of each year in Bamako, Mali's capital, where he's opened a nightclub (also called Moffou - the name refers to an African flute). It felt perfectly natural to return; in his words, "I'm from Mali, so this is home for me. My time in Paris was about experiencing other cultures. Paris didn't influence my music - I was seeking out that music." By rights, Salif Keita should never have been a singer.
Salif Keïta, born August 25 1949 in Djoliba, Mali, is unique not only because of his reputation as the Golden Voice of Africa, but because he has albinism and is a direct descendant of the founder and Mandinka king of the Mali Empire, Sundiata Keita. This royal heritage meant that under the Malian caste system, he should never have become a singer, which was deemed to be a griot's role; a low social pursuit. "In my family, it was not very easy to be a musician. My family is a royal family, and the royal family makes war – they don't sing" Salif says. Thus, his family opposed his desire to pursue the profession of music. His life path has not been one of ease or entitlement. He was cast out by his family and ostracized by the community because of his albinism which was regarded as sign of bad luck. His childhood was a lonely one; rejected by other children because of the color of his skin, he was often the butt of jokes; even his father didn't speak to him for years. He shut himself up in his studies which made him an excellent student and soon became fascinated with music. He learned to sing by listening to the griots and spent his days working on his father's farm developing his powerful voice shouting and vociferating. By deciding to become a musician, Salif was disobeying ancestral rules so he left home at age 19 and lived on the streets of the capital. He sung in cafés and markets, where his exceptional voice, high-pitched yet powerful, left listeners mesmerized.
A saxophonist, Tidiane Koné, spotted the young singer and invited him to join his group, the Rail band of Bamako that played in a hotel restaurant at a railway station. Each hotel had its own orchestra playing in the evenings and thanks to Salif Keïta, the Rail Band became a huge crowd draw. He soon became the star singer, with a repertoire comprised principally of traditional songs sung and arranged in a modern way. In 1973, he left the Rail Band for the Ambassadors; another hotel band comprising of Nigerian, Malian and Senegalese musicians led by guitarist and singer Kanté Manfila.
The hotel they played in- the Bamako Hotel had an international clientele and the band's repertoire included Afro-Cuban and French numbers- a vogue in Africa at that time. The Ambassadors toured successfully all over West Africa and finally settled in Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coast; a town more musically active and technically better equipped than Bamako. The group eventually changed its name to Ambassadeurs Internationaux.
Following his success with the band, Salif moved to the Paris suburb of Montreuil, heartland of the Malian community in France, where he lived modestly and discreetly. Before finally finding a record label that was right for him, he spent several years playing at parties and traditional celebrations. In 1985, he was called on along with several other African singers, to record the single "Tam Tam pour l'Afrique", in aid of the victims of the famine in Ethiopia. In '86 and '87 the African music scene in Paris began to really take off and a young Senegalese producer, Ibrahima Sylla, provided Salif Keita with the means to record a lot of his hit albums such as his first "Soro" released in 1981. He was invited to England, to an enormous concert organized in honor of Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday. Surrounded by African and Non-African musical stars alike, Salif became one of the pillars of "World Music" overnight. He went on to sign with a well known company-Island Records and along came a string of more hit albums such as Folon, Papa, Ko-Yan, Amen, M'Bemba- to name a few. Salif Keita's first major US breakthrough into the mainstream was a prominent feature on the soundtrack to Will Smith's blockbuster movie 'Ali', a reverence to boxing Legend Muhammad Ali.
Despite Salif's successes in music working with major key players in the industry in Europe, America and Africa, one project that is extremely dear to his heart is his organization the Salif Keita Global Foundation which seeks to protect the rights of albinos around the globe- especially in Africa. The SKG foundation aims to educate people in the communities and schools about albinism. In addition, be a pillar of support to families who have albino children. It's going well," he says. "It's about social integration, and studying families with albino children, searching for the real causes of albinism. And we inform the health organizations about it, and to find a cure to prevent albinism. Or if we can't prevent it, then better the condition of their lives - there's nothing established for that." His latest album "La Difference" has brought global recognition to the cause of albinism and won the Victoires des Musiques award (the Grammy equivalent) for Best World Music in France in 2010. In the title song "La Difference", the lyrics describe his own personal stance on his albinism. "I am Black, my skin in white. And I like that. It's the difference that makes it pretty." He is also the Peace Ambassador for the African Union, using his celebrity status to end fighting in conflict zones and raise awareness about the plight of the African Albino. He extends his love and help to those going through what he experienced when young as an albino.
Over the years, Salif's regarded as a master of West African rhythms and is credited as one of the founders of the Afro-Pop genre. He has composed and sung music that is considered classic throughout Africa and is admired worldwide. He gave up a lot to pursue his dreams of a career in music and has turned his handicap into a spur to produce beautiful music that exemplifies his Malian heritage. In addition and more notably, he inspires his fans to work for the development of a better society and better world.
Salif Keita Global Foundation