Oumou Sangare
Cambridge Folk Festival has been a responsive and encouraging venue for African musicians and that tradition should serve Malian, Oumou Sangare well as she'll be bringing plenty to the party.
Oumou has been singing since the age of five and already has a thirty six year career behind her. Her early performances were out of necessity to help contribute to the family pot as her father had abandoned Oumou's siblings and her mother, singer Aminata Diakite
Sangare's reputation rapidly grew, first as Samu(weddings etc.) singer and then as a more mainstream singer in her own country.
Discovered in her late teens by Lamine Sidibe, Oumou was soon touring as part of Bamba Dembele's Djoliba Percussion, a band that included another Malian musician that recently played Cambridge, Toumani Diabate.
In Europe, Oumou Sangare has been signed to the World Circuit label for a number of years and for whome she continues release records
She also continues to support projects back home in Mali, where she was a strong advocate of banning female circumcision, helping raise the profile of the issue and ultimately changing the law.
She is also a highly respected business woman and even has a Chinese built car named after her. She released her most recent album, 'Seya' earlier this year.