BiographySenegalese singer and star of the world stage Baaba Maal is a man with a mission that extends beyond his music. He is committed to the concerns of families, young people and the future of the continent, as is reflected in his role as Youth Emissary for the United Nations’ Development Programme, about which he says: "It strengthens my determination to work harder to contribute more to improving the living conditions of disadvantaged people of the African continent, especially young people, whose future is seriously threatened by illiteracy, poverty and HIV/AIDS. When I am talking about Africa, it is about how Africa will grow into the new millennium. This is why I really wanted to make music, so people can listen more to the music and the messages I am talking about."
- Baaba Maal Baaba never stops touring. He ended the last millennium with debut tours of Australia, South Africa, South America and the West Indies following on from stunning European and North American tours - the response globally to both the man and his music is always immense. In December 2004 Baaba Maal was thrilled to perform in Oslo when Kenya’s Wangari Maathai became the first woman from Africa to be honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize. He performed alongside Andrea Bocelli, Diana Krall, Patti Labelle, Cyndi Lauper, Polyphonic Spree and Joss Stone. The event was hosted by Tom Cruise and Oprah Winfrey When Baaba tours the world, as one of its great performers, his role as a representative of the United Nations’ Development Programme is never far away. Both elements come together when Baaba features in musical projects such as “Red Hot and Gershwin” and the Fela Kuti Tribute “Red Hot and Riot” both put together by the HIV/Aids awareness campaign group, the Red Hot Organisation. In February 2005 Baaba Maal was the special guest speaker for a lecture at the British Museum where he gave his views on Africa, speaking passionately and eloquently of the continent’s strengths and its challenges. Baaba Maal sold out a special performance at the Royal Festival Hall on 1st April 2005 with the aural and visual spectacle of his full band, Daande Lenol. This was a special project celebrating the Hayward Gallery’s inspirational Africa Remix exhibition. He was then invited to headline Glastonbury’s Jazz World Stage on Saturday 25th June and also to lead a show of solidarity with the Make Poverty History Campaign with Bob Geldof. On July 2nd Baaba made a speech in support of the Make Poverty History Campaign in Edinburgh and addressed the Rally in advance of the G8 Summit at Gleneagles. Baaba Maal returned to London in August 2005 where he presented a special, and prestigious, Late Night Prom at the Royal Albert Hall. Baaba comes from humble beginnings but he has learned and travelled and now speaks and sings of empowerment, enlightenment and peace. Baaba Maal was born in Podor, a town with a population of 6,000, on the banks of the river Senegal that separates the country of the same name from Mauritania. Baaba's family is Hal Pulaar, known in the English speaking world as Fulani. He is not from a Griot family (the hereditary caste of artists and communicators). His father worked in the fields but was also given the honour and responsibility of using songs to call the worshippers to the mosque. Baaba's mother was a musician who sang and wrote her own songs educating her son in the musical forms of the area and encouraging the young Baaba to value intelligent and thoughtful lyrics. At the same time Baaba was listening to Black music coming out of America, people like James Brown, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Etta James. Later he caught up with Jamaican musicians such as Toots Hibbert, Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff. Baaba went to school in St. Louis, the original French colonial capital and, on winning an Art scholarship, on to Senegal's modern capital, Dakar. There he joined Asly Fouta a group of 70 musicians and spent his time with the group learning as much as he could about the local musical instruments and how they work. On leaving college he toured West Africa with longtime friend, guitarist and Griot, Mansour Seck, soaking up more knowledge, "it's traditional for young musicians to do that. When you arrive in every village you do a gig. This makes you friendly with all the young people who are in the village. The next day the young people take you to visit the oldest person who knows about the history of the village and the country and about the history of the music". From there Baaba lived in Paris for several years, studying at the Conservatoire des Beaux Arts, with ears still wide open. On arriving back in Senegal Baaba formed his band Daande Lenol (Voice of the People). Baaba Maal is a man with a mission that extends beyond music. He often credits his much-loved mother with giving him a broader and more sympathetic view of the world than many contemporaries. Baaba is a citizen of the developing world who has carved out a place for himself in the first world. Baaba Maal can speak and sing to and for Africa with unprecedented authority. “Baaba Maal opened his mouth and beautiful pearls and lilies and songbirds came flying out. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen” - Michael Stipe
Discography
1988 Wango
1989 Djam Leeli (with Mansour Seck)
1990 Taara
1991 Baayo
1992 Lam Toro
1994 Firin' in Fouta
1998 Djam Leeli (with Mansour Seck)
1998 Nomad Soul
2001 Mi Yewnii (Missing You)
2005 A Voice for Africa DVD + “The Best of Baaba Maal” CD compilation
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