Kouyaté is a friendly and humble man, apologising for his “terrible English” at times and although our conversation is repeatedly muted by technological troubles and the jarred nature of a translated chat, Kouyaté is determined to get his message out there. Right now, there is a blanket ban on music (among other things) in Mali and Kouyaté’s journey around the world, showcasing his country’s musical stories and his continent’s unique instrumentation, has never been more vital to him.
“I have a strong connection to the culture of Mali as well as a spiritual connection to the music I perform,” Kouyaté says. “It is really important to transport that culture throughout the world. This new crisis, where the music has been banned, well, by stopping the music it really has stopped the heartbeat of Mali. The music is such a deep, cultural thread and so the end of music is being felt quite hard across the people of Mali.”
Kouyaté will be bringing this ensemble to Australia following on from the release of the group’s third album, Jama Ko. “At the moment, we’re not able to play or practice publicly because of the fear for our safety and security so it’s just a case of waiting,” he says. “We can’t wait to get out to Australia and bring people the joy of this music.”
Things might be horrific in Kouyaté’s country right now and although if he is caught playing music at the moment it could be punishable by death, his immutable spirit and dogged determination drives his desire to spread the culture of Mali and the joy of music. “No matter what, I’m always going to continue to do music, that’s the strength I’ve got and my only choice,” he says. “People are always taking in the music and despite all the tragedies of what’s going on at the moment, within the music, there’s always beauty.”
BY KRISSI WEISS
