Africa: A Journey into Music

Mali (1x3)

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In the last of the series Rita Ray travels to Mali in West Africa, home to a deep musical culture and ancient instruments that are the hallmark of Mali's sound, plus a well of talent that has drawn in artists and producers from around the world to collaborate with musicians there. Whilst the country has been rocked by insurgency, leading to a ban on music in some areas, Rita finds that their rich musical heritage goes hand in hand with everyday life in in the 21st century. Rita speaks to Garba Touré, the guitarist from Songhoy Blues, who last year performed at Glastonbury Festival, 6 Music Festival and on BBC Two's Later 25 With Jools Holland. The band fuse western influences with Malian melodies and were formed in the Malian capital Bamako in 2012, having fled armed militants in the north of the country.