Baaba Maal - Senegal

On Sunday 5 July, Afrika Festival Hertme welcomes Senegalese singer and musician Baaba Maal. With his exceptional voice and broad musical vision, he has been considered one of the most important representatives of West African music on the international stage for decades.

Baaba Maal grew up in a modest village in northern Senegal and managed to develop into an artist with global appeal. In the mid-1980s, he first caught the attention of European audiences with the acoustic album Djam Leelii, which he recorded with guitarist Mansour Seck. Although that modest start did not immediately suggest an adventurous international career, Baaba Maal continued to develop musically and push boundaries.

His curiosity and open attitude towards other styles and technologies led to collaborations with a wide range of artists, including Brian Eno, Tony Allen, Macka B, Taj Mahal and Mumford & Sons. In doing so, he managed to place traditional African music in a contemporary context time and again, without losing sight of his roots.

Programmer Rob Lokin is looking forward to the performance: ‘Baaba Maal is an artist who has been building bridges between tradition and innovation for years. His voice is impressive, but it is his way of storytelling and connecting that makes his music so powerful. We are proud to have him in Hertme this year.’

Baaba Maal's performance on July 5 promises to be a special and substantive highlight of the upcoming edition of the Afrika Festival Hertme.