"Carrying the torch for future generations, before us on stage were Mali's truest global ambassadors, speaking in tongues that required no translation.
Our only possible response at the end of the show was to breathe in astonished silence and wonder, then treasure deep feelings of gratitude for having been blessed with a gift of truly infinite proportions."
![From Yusuf Mahmoud on LinkedIn
Founder, Busara Promotions & Sauti za Busara festival
Wow, I am still lost for words after witnessing the closing performance by Salif
Keita's band, Sunday 8 Feb at Sauti za Busara festival here in Zanzibar.
After months of anticipation, only moments before the show was due to begin, the big screen lit up with a message none of us expected. The legendary Salif Keita, visibly emotional, repeating ‘désolé,' informing festival attendees he was diagnosed with a serious heart condition and unable to travel from Bamako.
{* Our hearts and prayers are with you, Salif. May your heavenly music live forever, carrying the soul of Africa across continents and generations *]
@ But Salf's spirit was with us. @
Powerfully represented by a commanding ensemble of 11 Malian musicians and singers - including younger family members - one by one, they took to the stage, armed with an array of electric and acoustic traditional instruments.
What followed was pure transcendence.
Slow, gently, they lifted the crowd skyward, into a vision of a united Africa, a vast and beautiful landscape with no borders, no politics; only a humanity at peace with itself, united in sound and rhythm.
From hushed, spirtually-charged beginnings, the energy built steadily and surely into an explosive finale, losing with timeless Salif classics including "Yamore," "Africa," and "Madan."](/proxy/post_attachment/219143/e5f4119406.png "From Yusuf Mahmoud on LinkedIn
Founder, Busara Promotions & Sauti za Busara festival
Wow, I am still lost for words after witnessing the closing performance by Salif
Keita's band, Sunday 8 Feb at Sauti za Busara festival here in Zanzibar.
After months of anticipation, only moments before the show was due to begin, the big screen lit up with a message none of us expected. The legendary Salif Keita, visibly emotional, repeating ‘désolé,' informing festival attendees he was diagnosed with a serious heart condition and unable to travel from Bamako.
{* Our hearts and prayers are with you, Salif. May your heavenly music live forever, carrying the soul of Africa across continents and generations *]
@ But Salf's spirit was with us. @
Powerfully represented by a commanding ensemble of 11 Malian musicians and singers - including younger family members - one by one, they took to the stage, armed with an array of electric and acoustic traditional instruments.
What followed was pure transcendence.
Slow, gently, they lifted the crowd skyward, into a vision of a united Africa, a vast and beautiful landscape with no borders, no politics; only a humanity at peace with itself, united in sound and rhythm.
From hushed, spirtually-charged beginnings, the energy built steadily and surely into an explosive finale, losing with timeless Salif classics including \"Yamore,\" \"Africa,\" and \"Madan.\"")