Fatoumata Diawara - I - LIVE at Afrikafestival Hertme 2010

Performance - 10 July 2010
Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara (aka Fatou) was born of Malian parents in the Ivory Coast in 1982. As a child she became a member of her father's dance troupe and was a popular performer of the wildly flailing didadi dance from Wassoulou, her ancestral home in western Mali. She was an energetic and headstrong girl and at the age of twelve her refusal to go to school finally prompted her parents to send her to live and be disciplined by an aunt in Bamako. She was not to see her parents again for over a decade.
Her aunt was an actress, and a few years after arriving, Fatou found herself on a film set looking after her aunt's infant child. The film's director was captivated by Fatou's adolescent beauty and she was given a one line part in the final scene of the film 'Taafe Fangan' ('The Power of Women'). This led to her being given a lead role by the celebrated director Cheick Omar Sissoko in his 1999 film 'La Genèse' (Genesis).
At the age of eighteen Fatou travelled to Paris to perform the classical Greek role of Antigone on stage. After touring with the production she returned to Mali where she was given the lead in Dani Kouyaté's popular 2001 film 'Sia, The Dream of the Python'. The film tells the story of a West African legend called Sia, a young girl who defies tradition. To many in Mali, Guinea, Senegal and Burkina Faso, Fatou is Sia thanks to the film's enormous success throughout the region. Offers for further acting roles poured in but Fatou's family wanted her to settle down and marry and forced her to announce, live on Malian television, that she was abandoning her career as an actress.
In 2002 Jean-Louis Courcoult, the director of the renowned French theatre company, Royale de Luxe, travelled to Bamako to offer Fatou a part in his new production. An unmarried woman is considered a minor in Malian society so her family's permission was required. They refused. After much soul searching Fatou took the daring decision to run away and at Bamako airport she managed to board a plane for Paris, narrowly escaping the pursuit of the police who had been alerted to the girl's 'kidnapping'.
With Royal de Luxe Fatou performed a variety of roles around the world including tours in Vietnam, Mexico and throughout Europe. During rehearsals and quiet moments she took to singing backstage for her own amusement. She was overheard by the director and was soon singing solo during the company's performances. Encouraged by the reception from audiences she began to sing in Parisian clubs and cafes during breaks from touring. Here she met Cheikh Tidiane Seck the celebrated Malian musician and producer who invited her to travel with him back to Mali to work on two projects as chorus vocalist; 'Seya' the GRAMMY nominated album by Mali's star Oumou Sangaré and 'Red Earth' the GRAMMY winning Malian project by American jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater. When the albums were released Fatou toured worldwide as singer and dancer with both projects.
On her return to France Fatou took the role of Karaba in the popular touring musical 'Kirikou and Karaba'. She was encouraged to take the role by her friend Rokia Traore who also inspired her to take up the guitar: "To me it was a wonderful and daring thing: a Malian girl with an acoustic guitar. Why should the guitar be only for men?" Fatou bought herself a guitar and started to teach herself, and at the same time began to write down her own compositions.

[@jurgzimmermann6076]

😘😘😘😅Fatou, echt Spitze diese Frau, ich war am 16.aug 2021 in Basel am Konzert und da ging die Post ab, grandios diese Frau und die Band noch dazu😀😀😀😀😅😅😅😍

[@selcukanar4723]

Lately I've become an addict to African music only because of you Fatoumata.. Awesome..

[@olawilliams8852]

Fatou, Legend of Africa. You're our pride. Continue to make us proud 🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬

[@staris48]

J'ai regardé plusieurs fois mais je n'arrive pas à m'arrêter j'aime beaucoup ...Hassan from morocco

[@idrissdiawara3268]

L,ambiance totale le seul remède à la tristesse.Grand merci à ma sœur Diawara Fatoumata

[@obinnaizuora5013]

I cant get enough of this...Fatou is a beautiful singer

[@obinnaizuora5013]

Super woman! What a beautiful piece sound.

[@harounatraore1366]

Notre fiertée MALIENNE bne continuation aussi Big c'est le Mali qui gagne 💚💛❤💪

[@ashishtexuma4962]

An Absolutely incredible talented artist and after having read about her struggles to find her place in the music world and international scene, respect...respect....and respect.

[@thecaptain9316]

i loved this woman

[@ivetetomaz3978]

Brasil,assistindo está maravilha de show,lindo gostaria de está nesse lugar.

[@coulibalymoussa3378]

Vraiment Fatoumata la malienne elle est hyper bien . Quand j'écoute sa chanson ça me distrait

voz surper linda com uma banda com muito gruvi ,um grande abraço do Brasil

[@josephjohnherbert]

Such an original infectious 12/8 beat!

[@Abdoulkang]

le meilleur spectacle ❤😭

[@deepudarpan8165]

Amazing music 🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵 love it.

[@ahmedturab9719]

very nice

[@daoudadiakite4012]

Très cool

[@idrissdiawara3268]

Depuis votre annonce sur RHHM buzz j'attendais avec impatience,j'étais pressé de tout savoir sur vous.Idriss Diawara depuis Maroc

[@user-yx1yq8ti1b]

Wow, a lot of enthusiasm

[@tchernobalde8106]

Grande artista

[@kaloucoulibaly8286]

She make craying always I don't know exactly what I wanna explain my self my feeling so far when I listing her music let me tel you ure my best singer in world I hope to great her all the morning because every morning I awake up with her music let's me know u Ure same feeling like me. If I look at whel in world how to buy arm to kill why to bee a bad with humainbe thanks Thanks

[@koumabache7431]

❤❤❤❤

[@SXHQQSSS]

SUPERB!!!

[@alidoudiallo2781]

Fatoumata Diawara merci

[@laminesogodogo6828]

Fierté d'Afrique

[@leovanderlinden9685]

❤🥰👍🙏

[@pacoatman6033]

Super.super

[@nouhounsacko7457]

Fatoumata Diawara cool

[@sangarecheck931]

Super

[@alyawwal6363]

This is awesome 👍

[@yacoubasanogo517]

Ma mère c'est bien elle faire ça vous est fierté de Afrique. J'aime beaucoup Dieu nous aide slt,et je te souhaite avec ton père kérifa 👌 🆗️

[@yacoubasanogo517]

Salut Salut mère

[@ivetetomaz3978]

Maravilha!

[@madykeita6769]

💪🏿🇲🇱🇲🇱🇲🇱💪🏿

[@dieguikakoule4396]

Du courage 😍🤘👍

[@sidibekarim4576]

Vraiment c'est spe

[@sidibekarim4576]

🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@idrissacoulibaly5849]

Chapeau le batterie

[@salifdiakite8018]

Vraiment Fatoumata Diawara .je sur pas mis t'ai meilleur fanne....

[@rrmt4305]

💚💛❤🤜🤛💪💪💪💪👍

[@mahamadousidibe7378]

👍🙏👏🏆🇲🇱

[@amineking7608]

Super batteur bravo

[@djeneboucisse9673]

☝️🧚‍♀️

[@gerardvermeer2]

She got dem dutchies all over on da lef han side

[@malidambeparis3711]

Ou son Les Africans sortez vous like

[@radiyatuinusah2849]

what the title of this song please. I really love it from Ghana

[@diadietraore1120]

Tounka

[@daoudakaya5313]

Daouda kaya

[@mohameddoumbouya274]

Salt cv Merci

[@diakaridiatraore5971]

Cool

[@doumbiamory3600]

adado jolie fatoumata diawara merci

[@damadiawara5399]

Top

[@amalachraf4073]

Yamaha pull orange

[@mamoutoutraore7537]

Jmt chensont

[@AllascoParis-sg6sm]

Djinxi b