Toumani Diabate: Farewell to the Master

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By: Ali Koita – The news spread like wildfire on social networks: Toumani Diabaté, nicknamed “The King of Cora”, died on July 19 in Bamako at the age of 58 after a short illness.

This outstanding Malian musician, who made the voice of his country and Africa heard in all four corners of the world through his art and his clothes, was born into a distinguished Griot family, to the seventy-second generation, according to Toumani Diabaté himself in an interview. At the age of five, he learned to play the kora (his favorite instrument, a harp consisting of 21 strings) from his outstanding father, Sidiki Diabaté, who collaborated with another kora player, Djelimadi Sissoko (see “Ancient string music”).

What we will remember him for, besides his talent, is his heartfelt attachment to tradition and authenticity, his legendary generosity and his determination to erase musical boundaries, going a thousand miles outside his native Mali to discover all kinds of musicians: Roswell Rudd, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Taj Mahal… This experience brought an amazing result, a “meeting of giving and receiving” in which all the sounds of the world resonated. He also did not hesitate to integrate musicians from different West African countries into his orchestra, thus participating in a kind of musical Pan-Africanism.We think that one of his best collaborations remains the acoustic album “In the heart of the Moon” with his compatriot, the great Ali Farka Touré. This masterpiece and unique exchange between Toumani’s kora and Ali’s guitar won the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album!