UCSB Arts & Lectures Presents Malian Singer-Songwriter Fatoumata Diawara, April 7 at 7 p.m. at Campbell Hall

ABOUT FATOUMATA DIAWARA

Fatoumata Diawara casts the keen eye of an African woman over controversial issues in contemporary society. Her 2023 album London Ko offers the perfect combination of electronic sounds and the traditional melodies of a kora or N’goni, and of Mandinka rhythms in the percussion and her own griotic voice.

“I’ve had so many different musical adventures since the last album, touring and working with so many other musicians and I think you can hear how all of that feeds into this record” she says. “This is my time and I’m sharing my soul.”

Damon Albarn, the artist who invited her to share the Africa Express stage with Paul McCartney in London in 2012, and then to duet on “Désolé” on the 2020 Gorillaz album, has continued his adventure with the Malian singer, co-producing six tracks on London Ko. The title speaks volumes about the connection between the two artists, a definite choice to showcase the importance of sharing and the richness that can be found in difference, at a time when globalization and discrimination are on the rise.

“To me, London Ko means open minds, open spirits. It represents the connection of Damon Albarn with Malian music” says Diawara.

In an aesthetic universe that plays with space and time, Diawara moves between genres in perfect continuity with what she started on her 2018 album Fenfo. Afrobeat, jazz, pop, electro, rock, hip hop or even ska – Fatoumata never stops exploring, but it’s in the pentatonic scale that the magic happens, faithful to the traditional Mandinka register that she has been revisiting since she first started making music. She gives us a taste with the London Ko single “Nsera” (“Destination”), and with an explosive accompanying video by Grégory Ohrel. This first release from the album positioned her firmly in the Afrofuturist movement and among the leading artists in a continent with no shortage of talent.

“I put all my love, spirit and entire body into the creative process and this album is pure.”

Fatoumata Diawara’s intellectual and musical convictions transform the dissonances of the contemporary world by offering new universes of sound and understanding. Fatou dares us to take an active role in our own lives, and this is the message that runs through all of her work.

From the beginning, it was in the film industry that Fatoumata Diawara forged her music career: her appearances alongside world famous Malian musicians captured the attention of the World Circuit label, allowing her to record her first album, Fatou, in 2011. A hit in the international press, who lauded her as one of the greatest discoveries of young, female, African talent. Before long, she was given the opportunity to sing with artists like Herbie Hancock (The Imagine project, Grammy Award in 2011) and Bobby Womack. In 2012 she sang alongside Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Tony Allen and Damon Albarn, among others, as part of the incredible project Rocket Juice & The Moon. Diawara continued to act, earning prominent roles in such internationally renowned films as Timbuktu (2014) and Yao (2018).

All these experiences contributed to shaping the singer’s voice and forging the musical identity heard on London Ko. The model she proposes stems from her own creativity, which expresses the voice of emancipation. With songs like “Netara” (“I’m leaving”) or “Yada,” which addresses the arrogance of fame, Diawara reclaims ancestral vocal techniques, not to recount history but to push things forward. London Ko offers a prophetic vision of what Africa can do by inventing an alternative, and inclusive, space and time where it is possible to become master of your own destiny. By taking care of form, the artist demonstrates not only care for the world, but also care for their ancestors, because, for Fatoumata Diawara, everything is connected.

ABOUT UCSB ARTS & LECTURES

Founded in 1959, UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) is the largest and most influential arts and lectures organization between Los Angeles and San Francisco. A&L annually presents more than a hundred public events, from critically acclaimed concerts and dance performances by world-renowned artists to talks by groundbreaking authors and film series at UCSB and Santa Barbara-area venues. With a mission to “educate, entertain and inspire,” A&L also oversees an outreach program that brings visiting artists and speakers into local classrooms and other venues for master classes, open rehearsals, discussions and more, serving K-12 students, college students and the general public.

Fatoumata Diawara is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures in association with UCSB Department of Music.

Special Thanks: KCRW & KCSB

Tickets are $45 / $30 / $15 UCSB students (Current student ID required)

For tickets or more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535 or purchase online at www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu. 

UCSB Arts & Lectures gratefully acknowledges our Community Partners the Natalie Orfalea Foundation & Lou Buglioli for their generous support of the 2023-2024 season.