Amadou & Mariam Take Back Sunday

Posted Friday, November 23, 2007

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Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia wanted their latest recording to be a celebration of the culture of their native Mali, and at the same time, recall the fun they had in the studio with their new friend and producer Manu Chao. Mali? Friends? Fun? Of course they called the album Dimanche a Bamako (Sunday in Bamako).

"In Mali, Sunday afternoon is like Saturday night would be other places," says Amadou (in French). "People everywhere get together to eat and to dance. Sunday is wedding day, and always a day for ceremonies and parties."

On Sundays, the couple's home in Bamako, the Malian capital, fills with family and friends. "People dress up, and we eat a lot, we talk a lot, we party."

On the stereo is "a little bit of everything," including Amadou & Mariam's all-time favorite artists: Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Pink Floyd and Rod Stewart; countrymen Ali Farka Toure and Salif Keita; and anything currently popular in Bamako.<

"There's such a great mix heard in Mali now," Amadou reports. "Traditional Malian music, dance bands and also a lot of rap."

Growing up in Mali, Amadou & Mariam, who are both blind, were exposed to music at a young age. Mariam was singing at family weddings by age six, and she taught fellow classmates at the Institute for the Blind in Bamako traditional singing and dancing. By two, Amadou was playing the djembe [a goatskin-covered African drum], and later learned guitar and flute. He was a veteran of the legendary big band Les Ambassadeurs, and in 1975, came to the Institute for the Blind. Amadou & Mariam started making music together and married in 1980. Since there were no recording studios in Bamako at the time, Amadou says they moved to Abidjan, in the Ivory Coast, where they made four albums. They later went to Paris and recorded three more records, becoming known on the world music scene. Among their fans was Manu Chao.

Dimanche a Bamako is that rare album that connects with people around the world. The Grammy-nominated album was named the BBC World Music Awards Album of the Year in 2005. It rose to number two on France's album chart, making it the highest ranked African album ever in Europe. Amadou & Mariam have performed at the Coachella and Bonnaroo festivals, and will tour North America extensively in the summer of 2006.

They may now be considered international Afro-pop stars, but Amadou & Mariam are quick to hush any talk that they have moved to Paris permanently, saying they are often in France, but that they live in Mali, home to their children and their music.

"In Mali, music is about life and its difficulties and hurdles," Mariam says. "We believe music can help people lead a better life. And the messages will come across even if people don't understand the words."

But just in case, Amadou & Mariam talked to URGE about the meaning of some of the songs on Dimanche a Bamako.

“Senegal Fast Food"
Amadou: “It's about leaving your country, about living on the outside. We are all in the same boat, but we don't know where that boat is going. That's the big question -- what is your destination? And maybe the best is to be outside of your home, to leave that world you know. It's about adventure, but we also talk about the problems when you travel.”

“Camions Sauvage"
Amadou: “The trucks that drive in the Malian countryside go fast, and sometimes they have no brakes. The trucks kill people, they kill children and they kill animals. The song says, "What are you doing? Pay attention! Don't drive so fast!" It's not that the people really drive all that fast or are bad drivers, but here the state of the roads is terrible, and the cars and the trucks are very old, so you have to be very careful.”

“Le Paix"
Mariam: “We want to convey a message of peace and solidarity between people. And we are talking to everybody. We want the Africans to get together; we call on America and Europe and everybody to get along all together, and to work at getting along.”

"La Realite"
Amadou: “We wrote this song to give people courage. In life, there are a lot of ups and downs. Some people cry, some people laugh, some people get lucky, some people are not lucky. But you have to keep in mind that you must stay strong, and you must struggle, and you have to be brave.”