The Return of Mali s National Arts Festival

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2 302 The Return of Mali s National Arts Festival Published in Mande-Manding. Background Reading for Ethnographic Research in the Region South of Bamako. Edited by Jan Jansen. Leiden: Leiden University, 2004, pp The legendary Biennale festival of Mali, one of Africa s premiere cultural events, has returned after an absence of more than a decade. Last held in 1988, this two week arts festival made a welcome return to Mali s capital, Bamako, and promised an exciting mix of old and new. Some of the great names of Malian music participated, with performances by Badéma National, L Ensemble Instrumental National, and L Orchestre INA (Institut National des Arts). Contemporary groups were also recognised with performances by Bamako s rappers Tata Pound, in addition to concerts featuring a wide range of traditional ensembles. But the real action, and the basis for the festival, took place in the artistic competitions, which have propelled many of Mali s finest artists to superstardom. The first Biennale, which was then known as the Semaine Nationale de la Jeunesse (National Youth Week), was held in Bamako in 1962, two years after independence. It was modelled on the Guinean arts festivals known as Quinzaines, which formed an integral part of the cultural policies of President Sékou Touré. Mali s first president, Modibo Keita, was a close ally of Touré s, and he adopted the same strategy of promoting nationalism and unity through music, often via state-sponsored orchestras. Like the Quinzaines, the Semaine National de la Jeunesse brought together young musicians and performers (in addition to athletes) from all over the country, who collectively represented the various regions of Mali. They would compete against each other for prizes in several different performance categories, and there is little doubt that these festivals were responsible for nurturing some of the greatest talent that Mali and Guinea produced. So successful were they, that the concept was copied, albeit with mixed results, in the neighbouring West African nations of Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Côte d'ivoire, Senegal and Niger. In order to fully represent the diverse regions and indigenous cultures, the national competitions in Mali commenced at the village level, with hundreds of communities across the nation competing. Performance categories included instrumental and vocal musical performance, dance, theatre, and sports. The finalists in each category then advanced to the next round of competition which was held at the

3 303 district level. A further stage was held at regional level, where performers could gain entry to the regional troupes and orchestras. Finally, the best artists from each region would travel to the national competition held in Bamako. Given that Mali is more than twice the size of France this was, and still remains, a lengthy and expensive process, with the competition rounds taking close to a year to complete. The Semaines National de la Jeunesse were suspended in 1968 when a military coup deposed President Keita. The cultural policies introduced by his government were abandoned, though it was recommended that the national arts festival remain in place. In order to distance themselves from the previous government, the new régime renamed the festival the Biennale Artistique et Culturelle de la Jeunesse (Biennale of Arts and Culture for the Young). As the name indicates, the festival was now held every two years, though it maintained the principals of fostering and nurturing talent amongst the youth through a broadly representative cultural and sporting competition. An outstanding series of LPs were released in 1970 through the Bärenreiter- Musicaphon label, which document Mali s first Biennale. Here several of the orchestras representing Mali s seven geographic regions were recorded, including the Orchestre Regional de Ségou, who were better known as Super Biton, and the Orchestre Regional de Sikasso, who found acclaim as Kéné Star. In addition, there were recordings released of the traditional ensembles who represented each region. Some of the stars whose career was launched by their Biennale performances include Tata Bambo Kouyaté, who performed as the rising star for the district of Bamako in 1963, and earned her nickname through her performance of the song Bambo at the event. In 1973, the 24 year old Kasse Mady Diabaté was the lead singer of Super Mande, an orchestra which won the competition. Nahawa Doumbia can be heard at the 1980 Biennale performing as the rising star for the region of Sikasso, a category she won at the national competition. Ali Farka Touré has also had a long association with the Biennales and Semaines, where he performed with a variety of ensembles. Other artists who have received national exposure through the competition include Toumani Diabaté, Fissa Maïga and Ibrahima Dicko, to name but a few. The Biennales were held from 1970 to 1988, and ceased in 1990 due to the Tuareg rebellion in the north of the country. Major democratic reforms in the 1990s delayed the reintroduction of the Biennale until the Ministry of Culture reinstated the competition in 2001, re-naming it the Semaine National des Arts et de la Culture (SNAC). The competitions began in earnest at the rural level in December 2000 with

4 304 the Semaine Locale. On September 11, 2001, the national competition was launched in Bamako with a grand opening ceremony. Since the last Biennale in 1988, Mali has introduced an eighth region, Kidal, whose artists paraded alongside the regions of Tombouctou, Ségou, Sikasso, Gao, Kayes, Mopti, and Koulikoro, with the city of Bamako being represented as a district. The format for the festival required that each region/district host a soirée where the following five performance categories were compulsory: modern orchestra; traditional music and dance; a ballet (involving a group of dancers being accompanied by a traditional ensemble); étoile montante rising star a solo vocal performance; and a theatrical piece. Each region s orchestra performed separately on the day following the soirée, an event which was full of promise. A final category, Objet d art, or sculpture, was also included in the competition. The performances in each of the different categories were to be judged by a panel, and entry prices were set at less than $1US. The stage was set for a remarkable event. The festival s opening ceremony was held on Avenue de l Independence in front of an assembled crowd of dignitaries. Under the hot afternoon sun each region and district paraded along the avenue, giving the audience a tantalising sample of what was in store for the competition proper. Most performers wore traditional costumes and were accompanied by an array of ensembles performing both modern and traditional instruments. Dancers spun around, acrobats threw each other into the air, which throbbed with the sounds of each of the performance troupes. The soirée for the opening night was held by the region of Sikasso, the highlights of which were their orchestra and dance troupe the latter performing with gourds adorned with cowrie shells supplying a perfect rhythmic accompaniment. The following day saw the commencement of the orchestras, an event expected to be one of the major attractions of the festival. Given just two songs during the soirée, the format of the festival allowed each orchestra a separate afternoon where they performed for over an hour. Unfortunately many of the orchestras were let down by a below-par sound system. This resulted on occasion in whole brass sections being rendered inaudible, along with muted guitar solos and patchy vocal mixes a situation that will hopefully be rectified in time for SNAC When the mix worked, however, the music was reminiscent of the golden days of the 1970s and 1980s, when the big orchestras of Mali were at their creative peak. Stand-out orchestras from SNAC 2001 were the groups from Sikasso (who were the winners from 1988), Ségou, and Gao a region so remote from the capital that their truck took three days to arrive. The

5 305 performance of the Regional Orchestra of Tombouctou was eagerly awaited, for their extant recordings (as Le Mystère Jazz de Tombouctou) offer a tantalising insight into the wonderful world of Mali s legendary bands. But alas, the sound mix was ordinary on the day and it was difficult to hear the group as they truly deserved to be heard. In general, however, the performances of the orchestras and of the other performing artists were of a very high standard, and the whole event proved unforgettable. The closing ceremony of the festival was held in the Palais de la Culture, and included a performance by L Ensemble Instrumental National du Mali. The winners and runners up for 2001 were announced as follows: Orchestre Moderne 1 st place: Mopti. 2 nd place: Ségou. 3 rd place: Bamako. Music and Danse Traditionnelle 1 st place: Sikasso. 2 nd place: Tombouctou. 3 rd place: Bamako. Ballet 1 st place: Kayes. 2 nd place: Bamako. 3 rd place: Gao. Étoile Montante 1 st place: Ségou. 2 nd place: Tombouctou. 3 rd place: Kayes. Pièce de Théâtre 1 st place: Bamako. 2 nd place: Mopti. 3 rd place: Kayes. Objet d Art 1 st place: Ségou. 2 nd place: Bamako. 3 rd place: Koulikoro. The winners from each category received cash prizes of between $250 - $400 US, with the overall award ( Classement General ) going to Bamako. Given what may be teething problems associated with a hiatus of 13 years, the success of the Semaine National des Arts et Culture seems assured, and it will surely become a highlight in Africa s calendar of cultural events. The next national competition is scheduled for September A discography of recordings from Mali s Biennales: Les Meilleurs Souvenirs de la 1ère Biennale Artistique et Culturelle de la Jeunesse (1970). Bärenreiter-Musicaphon. BM 30 L Orchestre Régional de Ségou BM 30 L Orchestre Régional de Mopti BM 30 L Orchestre Régional de Sikasso BM 30 L Orchestre Régional de Kayes BM 30 L 2651/2. Troupes Artistiques. Volumes 1 & 2 Musiques du Mali. Volumes 1 & 2. Mélodie / x Compact discs. (contains some recordings from the 1980 Biennale) In addition, cassette copies of the Orchestras of Tombouctou, Koulikoro and Gao are extant in Mali, as are pirate recordings by various artists performing at many of the previous Biennales.