In 1989, a 21-year-old Malian singer released an album that attacked polygamy, forced marriage and the lack of freedom for women. It sold in huge numbers across West Africa. Oumou Sangaré had arrived.
Sangaré was born in Bamako in 1968, but her family came from Wassoulou, a region in southern Mali. Her father left the family and took a second wife, leaving her mother to raise the children in poverty. Sangaré began singing at a young age to help support the family, performing at weddings and naming ceremonies.
Wassoulou music
Wassoulou music is based on the traditions of hunters’ songs from the region. It uses the kamalen ngoni, a harp-lute with a bright, rhythmic sound, along with the djembe, fiddle and call and response vocals. Unlike the griot traditions of the Mande world, Wassoulou singers are not born into a musical caste, and women play a leading role.
Moussolou
Her debut album, Moussolou, meaning “women”, made her a sensation in Mali and across West Africa. Songs addressed polygamy, forced marriage and the right of women to choose their partners and control their lives. The album was later released internationally by World Circuit, bringing her to audiences in Europe and North America.
International career
Albums including Ko Sira, Worotan, Seya and Mogoya followed. She toured widely and collaborated with artists around the world. She sang on “Imagine”, a track on Herbie Hancock’s 2010 album The Imagine Project, which won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 2011.
Business and activism
Sangaré built businesses in Mali, including a hotel in Bamako and a car brand bearing her name. She has served as a goodwill ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization and continues to speak out about women’s rights, child marriage and education.
Style
She sings mainly in Bambara, Mali’s most widely spoken language. She is known for her powerful voice, commanding stage presence and elegant dress, often in bold Malian fabrics and headwraps.
Legacy
Sangaré showed that a woman could sing about women’s rights in Mali and still fill stadiums. Her success inspired a generation of Malian women singers.
She started singing to feed her family after her father left. The songs she wrote about that experience made her the voice of millions of women who had lived it too.
