Habib Koité : Global Griot

Malian magic

Musical storyteller Habib Koité  makes a Big Noise for impoverished countrymen

by Christine Leonard

Known for his technical precision and flair for blending diverse musical styles, Malian guitarist Habib Koité has a rich personal history to draw upon when it comes to his art. Tuning his modern day instrument to the pentatonic scale and playing with open strings, he consciously echoes the sound of the ancient African harp known as kora. Originally from Senegal, Koité continues to pay tribute to the popular rhythms of his native city of Keyes. While studying under the legendary Kahlilou Traore, of the Afro-Cuban band Maravillas du Mali, Koité quickly learned to incorporate elements of flamenco and the blues into his repertoire. Now an accomplished instructor at the National Institute of Arts in Bamako, Mali, Koité strives to bring together the most powerful aspects of the old and the new, developing a truly pan-Malian approach that reflects his innovative spirit as well as his reverence for the past.

"My family name is Khassongke griot. A griot is a storyteller, someone who keeps the stories in their mind and tells them to others. Griots perform ceremonies for marriages and deaths, and in times of war, and at other times they carry messages between villages. Griots are a bridge between the people and the musicians. It was easy for me to take up guitar in my family," says Koité. "My brothers play guitar, and my parents have always been involved with making music. What I play is not exactly the music I was brought up on, but it’s close." Ultimately he takes his musical inspiration from the many different languages of Mali. "Everywhere you go people are speaking in different tongues," he says.

Discovering that his multi-album international success as a musician gave him access to a universal language and a larger global audience, Koité has keenly focused his efforts to help alleviate the economic hardships that have impacted many of his countrymen. Using his influence to bring attention to the plight of Malian cotton farmers, he has organized with artists such as Colin Firth, Michael Stipe, Alanis Morrisette, Chris Martin, Minnie Driver and Youssou N’Dour in joining with Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair: The Big Noise movement to protest U.S. and developed national policies that dump commodities on poor countries that depend on fair competition to make a living from their basic commercial crops.

"My country has grown some of the best quality cotton in the world," says Koité "But Malian farmers are finding that they cannot sell their crops because they are too expensive. Our government has too many things to do in such a poor country. That’s why it’s expensive, because people from outside of Africa can supply the same product for so much less. Our people cannot stay in poverty. We have to do something to equal out the prices in the world market so that consumers can choose quality. This money is very important to Malian farmers – it means being able to feed and shelter their families. I don’t know why people would want to keep them down."

After 20 years of raising spirits and awareness with his deeply intimate singing style and mesmerizing guitar work, Koité looks to the future with the knowledge that anything is possible. Gearing up his earthy rhythm section, Bamada, for a grand 34-city North American tour, he eagerly anticipates the opportunity to bring the sounds of his beloved homeland to new ears.

"I don’t teach like I play. I’m not the put-your-arm-like-this-and-your-fingers-there kind of instructor. I listen when I teach," says Koité. "I believe in co-operation in music. I don’t know what people hear when they listen to my music, but I hope that they gain some understanding of where I’m coming from in my expression. That’s what drives me as an artist to say ‘Yes, I can improve.’"

Habib Koité  performs at Eric Harvie Theatre (The Banff Centre) and Jack Singer Concert Hall March 11-13, 2005