Mandé Sila - Habib Koité, Aly Keïta, Lamine Cissokho, Mama Koné

Three pioneers of West African musical traditions come together to celebrate Mandé Sila: the path of the Mandingo empire, symbolizing languages, cultures, music and the entire instrumental lore of West Africa.
Habib Koité, one of Africa's most popular and recognized musicians, is a modern-day troubadour whose musicality, wit and wisdom are extraordinarily appealing.
Kora player Lamine Cissokho is a descendant of a famous griot family whose traditions date back to the 14th century and who have passed on traditional pieces from generation to generation.
Aly Keïta has gained worldwide recognition for his mastery of the balafon, his impressive virtuosity and his unique sound. Three virtuoso artists linked by the same cultural heritage; a melting pot that inspires their compositions and sublimates the renewal of the genre.
The trio will be joined on stage by Habib's longtime percussionist Mama KONE (djembe, calabash, electronic pad), who has also performed with Eric Bibb.

Mama Kone was born in 1983 in Mopti (Northern Mali). Mama comes from a family of griots and has been surrounded by music since his earliest childhood. His musical playground was the balafon, the djembe, the n'goni, the talking drum ... instruments that his father and brothers played at home. At the age of 12, he began to learn the pentatonic balafon. His older brother also introduced him to the djembe. Over the years, he perfected his playing and took part in concerts by local groups and traditional festivals. After graduating from high school, he studied theater at the Institut des Arts de Bamako (INA... where Habib Koité also studied guitar) and took part in several theater projects that took him on tour to Mali and Europe. But his passion for music never left him, and so he founded a percussion group in Bamako in 2008. In 2012, Habib Koité invited him to collaborate on the album "Brothers in Bamako" with US blues musician Eric Bibb, and he has remained part of the group ever since. He was involved in the production of the last two albums "Soô" (2014) and "Kharifa" (2019) and has accompanied Habib Koité on every tour since 2012 as a percussionist (calabash, djembe) and backing vocalist. Outside of touring with Habib Koite, he plays with local groups in Bamako ... Kamale N'goni, balafon and djembe.