Salif Keita facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Salif Keita
Keita in 2015
Background information
Also known as	The Golden Voice of Africa
Born	(1949-08-25) 25 August 1949 (age 75)
Origin	Djoliba, Mali
Genres	African
Occupation(s)	Singer
Years active	Mid-1970s–2018
Associated acts	Martin Solveig

Salif Keïta (born August 25, 1949) is a famous singer and songwriter from Mali, a country in Africa. People often call him the "Golden Voice of Africa" because of his amazing singing. He is also part of the Keïta royal family of Mali, which means his family has a long history of leaders.

Who is Salif Keïta?

Early Life and Challenges

Salif Keïta was born in a village called Djoliba. He was a prince, part of a very old royal family in Mali. His family line goes back to Sundiata Keita, who founded the powerful Mali Empire a long, long time ago.

However, Salif was born with albinism, a condition where a person has very little color in their skin, hair, and eyes. In his culture, some people thought this was a sign of bad luck. Because of this, his family and community sometimes treated him differently.

Even though he was from a noble family, Salif decided to become a musician when he was a teenager. This was unusual because people from his noble background were not expected to pursue music as a job. This choice made him even more separate from his family.

In 1967, Salif left his village and moved to Bamako, the capital city of Mali. There, he joined a band called the Super Rail Band de Bamako. Later, in 1973, he joined another group called Les Ambassadeurs.

During the mid-1970s, there was political trouble in Mali. Salif and his bandmates had to leave the country. They changed their band's name to Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux. This band became famous around the world in the late 1970s. After this success, Salif decided to start his own solo music career.

Salif Keïta is also the father of Nantenin Keita, who is a Paralympian athlete.

His Music Career

After leaving Mali due to political problems, Salif and his band settled in Abidjan, a city in Ivory Coast. They faced financial struggles and often had to rent equipment for their shows. Despite these difficulties, the band, now called Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux, grew more and more popular. Their album Mandjou, released in 1978, became a huge hit in West Africa very quickly.

In 1976, the President of Guinea, Sékou Touré, honored Salif Keïta. The President had been a fan of Salif and his band for a while. To thank the President, Salif wrote the song "Mandjou" for him. This song was on the 1978 album.

Salif moved to Paris, France, in 1984 to reach more listeners and to focus on his solo career. His music mixes traditional West African sounds with styles from Europe and the Americas.

His album Soro, released in 1987, helped him become famous worldwide. The music on this album featured strong rhythms, female backup singers, and traditional Malian drums.

Salif Keïta's music often uses traditional African instruments like balafons (like a wooden xylophone), djembes (goblet-shaped drums), and koras (a stringed instrument). He also uses modern instruments like guitars, organs, saxophones, and synthesizers.

In 1988, he performed at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert. This concert was held to ask for Nelson Mandela to be released from prison.

Around the year 2000, Salif moved back to Bamako, Mali, to live and record music. His album Moffou, released in 2002, was praised as one of his best in many years. This inspired him to build his own recording studio in Bamako, which he used for his 2005 album M'Bemba.

Famous musicians like Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Carlos Santana, and Bill Summers have played on his albums.

Standing Up for Others

Salif Keïta's album La Différence, released in 2009, is very special. He dedicated this album to people with albinism around the world. He has always worked to help people understand and accept albinos.

In one song on the album, he sings about how "difference" does not mean "bad." He asks people to show love and kindness to albinos, just like everyone else. He sings, "I am black/ my skin is white/ so I am white and my blood is black [albino]/...I love that because it is a difference that's beautiful." He also says, "all that difference was on purpose...for us to complete each other/let everyone get his love and dignity/the world will be beautiful."

In 2001, Salif Keïta's song "Tomorrow" was used in the Will Smith movie, Ali.

La Différence also won Salif Keïta a big music award: the Best World Music 2010 at the Victoires de la musique in France.

In November 2018, Salif Keïta announced that he would stop recording new albums. He made this announcement at a concert in Fana, Mali. His album Un Autre Blanc, released at that concert, was his last one. For this farewell album, he invited many other African singers to join him on a song called “Gnamale.” At the end of the album, he thanked God and shared a message for people not to misuse his name.

Salif Keïta has released over 15 albums. He considers Un Autre Blanc to be his final musical work.

In August 2023, Salif Keïta was appointed as an adviser to the leader of the government in Mali.

Living with Albinism

Salif Keïta was born with albinism, and this brought many challenges in his home country of Mali. Especially among the Mandinka people, his condition was sometimes seen as an illness. Even though his family had a history of musicians and leaders, he was not allowed to pursue music. This led to his father disowning him and him being removed from school.

To find acceptance and follow his passion for music, he moved to Ivory Coast when he was young. There, he focused on his music and eventually became a well-known cultural figure. After he became famous, he returned to Mali in 1997.

Selected Music

Albums by Salif Keïta

• Seydou Bathili (1982)
• Soro (1987)
• Ko-Yan (1989)
• Amen (1991)
• Destiny of a Noble Outcast (1991)
• 69–80 (1994)
• Folon (1995)
• Seydou Bathili (1997)
• Papa (1999)
• Mama (2000)
• Sosie (2001)
• Moffou (2002)
• Remixes from Moffou (2004)
• M'Bemba (2005)
• The Lost Album (recorded 1980, reissued 2005)
• La Différence (2009)
• Talé (2012)
• Un Autre Blanc (2018)

Many collections of his songs are also available, including:

• The Mansa of Mali...a Retrospective – 1994
• Rail Band – 1996
• The Best of Salif Keita – 2001
• Salif Keita: The Best of the Early Years – 2002

Songs with Other Artists

• Ambassadeur International, Mandjou (1978)

Singles

• "Yamore" (2002) (with Cesaria Evora)

Music Videos

Images for kids

• 

  Photo of Salif Keïta

• 

  Keita at WOMAD Charlton Park, England, 2010

See also

In Spanish: Salif Keïta para niños