Ballake Sissoko was in concert at Podium Grounds, Rotterdam on Saturday as part of his European tour. Africa Web TV was there to cover the show. What a concert it was! For one it was a concert where the traditional West African instrument, the kora, took the centre stage. Ballake is one of kora’s greatest ambassadors from Mali.
This was an all seat concert performed in an intimate setting. Ballake gave a show that was worth waiting for if you are a fan of traditional West Africa music. There was no singing and in between the set, Ballake kept the talking to a minimum. It was apparent the audience was captivated for whole of the 75 minute duration of the concert. Whether he was playing solo or with his 4 piece band, the music takes you on a journey through the rich history of ancient Mali!
The highlight though was the number, Maimouna! Maimouna is a song he wrote for his daughter. You could hear a pin drop during this number as he literarily took his audience into the depths and privacy of his heart and life! Ballake showed he is a virtuoso on the kora.
One of the obvious things was that lots of European connoisseurs were present. Some have been fans of Ballake Sissoko for decades. One of them told us that the Kora music was the basis of blues music. Many people we spoke with at the end of the show were very happy to have been there. The obvious absentees were Africans. But as someone pointed out, we grew up with the music. It is good that people like Ballake Sissoko are doing their best to spread the music to Europe and beyond. Whatever happens, Africa Web TV was proud to have had the privilege to cover the concert of one of Africa’s great, contemporary traditional musicians.
Footnote: This concert marked the reportorial debut of Kees De Kwaasteniet for Africa Web TV. Kees has been busy behind the scenes with the script and format developments for Africa Web TV. We are happy to introduce him to you.
