MALI: Mali's top musical act, a blind couple, Amadou Bagayogo and Mariam Doumia, perform in Paris Bamako music festival

Record ID: 453841

  • Title: MALI: Mali's top musical act, a blind couple, Amadou Bagayogo and Mariam Doumia, perform in Paris Bamako music festival
  • Date: 11th April 2007
  • Summary: (AD1) BAMAKO, MALI (APRIL 7, 2007) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF AFRICA TOWER IN FALADIE QUARTER
  • Embargoed: 26th April 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Mali
  • Country: Mali
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
  • Reuters ID: LVAAJUYLWOPV3W3MQ2V8QP3N4H01
  • Story Text: One of Mali's top musical act, are a blind couple educated at the blind centre in Bamako. They return to hold a concert to raise money for blind children at the centre.

    A very special concert takes place in Mali's capital Bamako every year to raise awareness and funds to educate the blind.
    This is the third time the concert dubbed 'Paris Bamako' Music Festival, is being held since it's maiden show in 2005.
    The festival's main beneficiaries are the visually impaired children at the National Institute for the Blind in Bamako.
    "I've been here since 1999. I was given a bed and a mattress," said Abdoulaye Toure, one of the students.
    "Now the problem of the equipment has been sorted out. We have Braille paper for the computer. We have food too," added another student, Aliou Coulibaly.
    Former students at the institute turned international music stars, Amadou Bagayogo and Mariam Doumbia were among the big names at the festival and are one of Mali's most successful musical acts.
    They met while Doumbia was a student and Bagayogo was an assistant music teacher at the National Institute. Now they use their fame to raise funds and support for their old school.
    During one week of creative residence, artists from Europe meet with artists from Africa to work and rehearse together for the concert.
    "With our manager Marc Antoine we have tried to initiate a festival called Paris-Bamako, to make Europeans artists meet Malian artists," Bagayogo said, the developer of the concept for Paris-Bamako.
    The artists who have been coming for the last three years, perform for free.
    The institute has limited resources. Even though teachers are aware of the latest innovations and technology for teaching blind children, they can't afford to get the materials or training required.
    "The objective of the festival is to help the people of the Institute of blind people. This is where we started our studies," said Doumbia.
    "Building boarding schools, paying for beds, mattresses, learning material, paying for the refurbishment of the kitchen and the dormitory," said Bagayogo.
    Due to poverty, ignorance, or lack of specialised training many of Mali's blind are not equipped to be productive members of their society. This concert will give the institute a better chance at changing the situation for Mali's visually impaired and helping Malian's better understand the disability.
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