Hakili Kélé
By mah damba
Mah Damba is a jeli muso: she belongs to the caste of the griots, the professional musicians of the Mande world who are also genealogists, chroniclers and custodians of the epic tradition. Custodian of a centuries-old cultural heritage, Mah Damba never closed the door to the new. Over the course of some 45 minutes, we measure the extent of her range, as able to rise through the octaves as to dive into the bass. This is the voice, now slightly frayed by the patina of time, powerfully anchored in a tradition that she carries in her inner depths, that makes all the difference.