An international star of African music died. Guinean singer and musician Mory Kanté died on Friday May 22 in Conakry at the age of 70 after a long illness. Mory Kanté died "around 9.45 this morning at the Sino-Guinean hospital," her son Balla Kanté announced to an AFP correspondent. "He suffered from chronic diseases and often traveled to France for treatment, but with the coronavirus it was no longer possible."
Nicknamed the "electric griot", due to his compositions fusing song, traditional instruments and pop atmospheres, Mory Kanté is the author of the planetary tube Yéké yéké, released in 1988, and sold over 5 million copies worldwide. world.
Born of a Malian mother, Mory Kanté began his career in the 1970s in Bamako, in several orchestras before joining the Rail Band of Bamako whose singer was then Salif Keïta.
In the 1980s, he left for Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where his musical experiments mixing western rhythms, kora, djembe and bolon met with growing success. He then decided to come and settle in France and it was in 1987, with his album Akwaba Beach, that Mory Kanté's music exploded around the world.
A key figure in the "world" scene, Mory Kanté has given concerts all over the world. He is the author of 12 musical projects since the beginning of the 80s. The Guinean president Alpha Condé expressed his sadness after the death of the artist: "Thank you the artist. An exceptional journey. Exemplary. Pride".
# Mory_Kanté African culture is in mourning. My most sad condolences ... Thank you the artist. An exceptional course. Copy. Pride.
Posted by Alpha Condé on Friday May 22, 2020With AFP
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