Issue 72 / November 2016

Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam
Doumbia are the Grammy Awardnominated
musical duo that make
up the musical force that is AMADOU AND
MARIAM. Affectionately known as “the blind
couple from Mali”, the duo spent 20 years
establishing their reputation in Mali and other
neighbouring West African countries before
eventually winning international acclaim with
their ground-breaking and genreless mix of
Malian music.
Drawing inspiration from far and wide, the
pair mix traditional Mali sound with electric
guitars and various world instruments such
as Syrian violins, Cuban trumpets, Egyptian
ney and Indian tablas to result in a unique
sound that they refer to as ‘Afro-blues’.
Garnering attention from early on in their
career, the pair have racked up an impressive
count of guest appearances, collaborations
and joint productions from the likes of Manu
Chao, Beth Orton and Damon Albarn to TV On
The Radio and Santigold.
The pair both lost their eyesight at a young
age, at a time in Mali when blindness was
considered an enormous handicap. Yet through
their love of music the duo overcame their
obstacles, donned their trademark sunglasses
and embroidered Malian dress and became
a musical force to be reckoned with. Their
2008 autobiography, Away From The Light Of
Day, further highlighted the inspiring artistic
path that the couple took, in light of the many
obstacles they had to face, and shows the
broader social change that they have effected.
Ultimately, their story is one of determination,
courage and absolute devotion to music.
Amadou and Mariam are set to make their
first appearance in Liverpool this December as
part of DaDaFest – an innovative arts festival
that produces opportunities for disabled and
deaf people to access the arts. The show will
be a highlight of a fantastic programme put
together by the festival, running from 17th
November to the Philharmonic Hall show on 3rd
December. On that night, Amadou and Mariam
will be joined by a sterling support bill including
selectors adept in music from all corners of the
world, Radio Exotica DJs, plus Somalian guitar
maverick Anwar Ali. Ali, whose idiosyncratic
style takes in influences as diverse as Swahili
wedding songs and Norwegian folk, will be
joined by Liverpudlian musician Dave Owen.
Completing the line-up is the Evolve Group from
the Young DaDa Ensemble, who will perform
original songs from their trailblazing project.
In advance of their performance, Scott
Smith caught up with Amadou and Mariam
to find out their influences growing up, how
they coped with their disabilities and their
experiences in the music industry.
Bido Lito!: Where did the story of Amadou
and Mariam all begin, and when did you start
playing together?
Amadou and Mariam: Our history started in a
meeting at the Institute for Blind Children in
[Malian capital city] Bamako in 1975, one year
after we started playing together, and our first
AMADOU
& MARIAM
Words: Scott Smith / @thinkscott
gig was back in January 1976.
BL!: You’re playing Liverpool as part of
DaDaFest; how important is the issue of
disability to you as performers and how do
you find British audiences?
A&M: It’s super important for us because
disabled and deaf people should have their
own place and importance in our society. We
are happy that DaDaFest give this opportunity
and place in arts and music to join audiences
together. [When] we were young we lived
[with] some discrimination. But after some
years when we became musicians we started
to receive the affection and admiration from
the audience. We are lucky to have played in
so many different countries. British audience[s
are] very warm and welcome; they enjoy music
and they know a lot about different genres and
styles.
BL!: During your recording career you have
collaborated with a variety of musicians from
around the world; how have these experiences
affected your songwriting?
A&M: When we were young we used to listen
[to] a lot of American music, and also some
British groups. We like a lot of different styles
from rock, blues, rap, but also some French
chanson and the Afro-Cuban sounds. One of
the very nice parts of collaborations [is that] it
gives us the opportunity to mix some sounds
and styles, to learn and create, always keeping
our African sound.
BL!: You’ve achieved so much in your career,
but you didn’t have the easiest start. Where
did you find the determination and courage
to dedicate yourself to music?
A&M: Our start was not that easy because a
proper music industry did not exist in Mali at
that time nor music producer and distributor,
so we were forced to move to Cote D’Ivoire.
We were super determined to share our music
around the world. We were – and still are –
confident about our sound and music, that’s
why we did this big step. We are grateful to do
what we love and that is to play music. Also,
we received a lot of nominations, recognitions
and awards around the world that give us
energy to keep playing.
BL!: What advice do you have for any young
blind, deaf or disabled aspiring artists trying
to make it in the music world?
A&M: They should be strong and have patience.
To be strong enough to feel that they are on
the same level and [have the same] rights as
all other human beings.
BL!: We are looking forward to your
performance in Liverpool.
A&M: Thank you so much for your time and
interview. We too look forward to seeing you
all at the DaDaFest!
dadafest.co.uk
Amadou and Mariam play Liverpool
Philharmonic Hall as part of DaDaFest 2016 on
Saturday 3rd December.