Toumani Diabaté
The absolute master of the kora: seventy-one generations of griots in the fingers of one man.
Toumani Diabaté (1965-2024), born in Bamako, descends from a line of seventy-one generations of kora-player griots.
Self-taught prodigy, he has made discover the kora — the harp-luth with 21 strings from West Africa — to the world, from Japan to the greatest classical scenes.
He won two Grammy Awards, notably for "In the Heart of the Moon" (2006) with Ali Farka Touré, and multiplied the matches: Taj Mahal, Björk, Damon Albarn, Herbie Hancock and Ketama's flamenco.
He was the head of the Symmetric Orchestra in Bamako, and he also passed on family art to his son Sidiki, with whom he recorded the duos album "Toumani & Sidiki" (2014).
He disappeared in July 2024 and left a huge work: RFI and the world of music paid him a unanimous tribute, celebrating the eternal ambassador of the kora.