Salif Keita to perform in New York and DC

Considered due to albinism and cast out of his family and ending up a singer which was also frowned upon as this is a griot’s role and not one befitting a person of royal lineage, Keita has risen high above all ods and become a force to reckon with in Africa’s music terrain. It is […]

Considered due to albinism and cast out of his family and ending up a singer which was also frowned upon as this is a griot’s role and not one befitting a person of royal lineage, Keita has risen high above all ods and become a force to reckon with in Africa’s music terrain. It is usually out of pain and hurt that some of the most poignant music is developed and we are not disappointed in Keita.

He started with Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux, a group which went on to gain international acclaim and garnered Keita a National Order award from President Sékou Touré of Guinea. His music is a fusion of African, western, and islamic styles utilizing western and African instruments. His music became very popular in Europe and then he went on to record several albums before moving back to Mali. He built a studio in 2005 and recorded M’bemba.

Keita has not forgotten his experiences as an albino and has opened a foundation, the Salif Keita Global Foundation which calls attention to the plight of albinos around the world. Many are victims of abuse and are often murdered for body parts because people believe that their bodies have magical powers. The foundation also helps raise funds to provide albinos with free health care and educational services in Africa and around the world.  His album ‘La Difference’ was extremely well received internationally, with critics lauding it as an original masterpiece with broad appeal.  The album is dedicated to the struggle of the world albino community.

His wife, Malian/American Coumba Makalou, in partnership with the the African Diaspora for Change (ADC), Diaspora African Women’s Network (DAWN), I Dream of Africa Entertainment (IDOA Entertainment), and her organization, Conscientious Organizations Using Music to Bring Awareness (C.O.U.M.B.A.) will be hosting a special live benefit performance on April 10, 2011 at the Bohemian Caverns in Washington DC.  Salif Keita will be performing.  Concert sales will go to support the Salif Keita Global Foundation in bringing awareness to albinism.