Habib Koité
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Mali's modern troubadour: a guitar that speaks like a n'goni, a soft voice that brings together an entire country.
Habib Koité (born 1958) is a Malian singer and guitarist from the Khassonké tradition.
He graduated from the National Institute of Arts in Bamako in 1982 and taught guitar there before founding his band Bamada, which became a supergroup of West African musicians.
His first tube, "Cigarette Abana", and then the album "Muso Ko" (1995), brought him to the top of the world rankings in Europe.
His unique game — a pentatonic guitar, empty strings like a kamele n'goni — earned him the nickname of "Eric Clapton of Mali".
In 2024-2025, he travelled the world with Mandé Sila, a prestigious acoustic trio with Aly Keïta (balafon) and Lamine Cissokho (kora), whose live album was recorded at Woodstock's Levon Helm Studios.