Banzumana Sissoko

Banzumana Sissoko
Background information
Born	1890
Origin	Mali
Died	1987
Genres	World
Instruments	N'goni

Banzumana Sissoko (1890 – 1987) was a noted Jeli and N'goni player.^[1]

Biography

Banzumana was born blind in Segou. He was considered a major national figure in Mali; Cheick Mahamadou Chérif Keïta writes: "From the late 1950s, when Banzumana Sissoko became known on the national scene, to his death in 1987, the entire Mandenka nation was witness to his categorical refusal to curry favor with any politician or rich patron. It is interesting that in his immensely rich repertoire of both traditional and original songs, not a single one contains praises for a living person."^[2]

Discography

In 1962 "A ton appel Mali", one of his compositions, became the national anthem of Mali; the text is by Seydou Badian Kouyaté.

References

1. Banzoumana Sissoko, retrieved 2010-11-27
2. Cheick Mahamadou Chérif Keïta, "Jaliya in the Modern World," in David C. Conrad and Barbara E. Frank, Status and Identity in West Africa: Nyamakalaw of Mande (Indiana University Press, 1995; ISBN 0253209293), p. 185.

External links