Musician Toumani Diabaté dead at 58: He has passed away in hospital after suffering from a short illness
He was known as the Malian master of the kora, which is a stringed instrument that typically has 21 strings and is used extensively in West Africa.
Toumani Diabaté’s manager Saul Presa has revealed that the musician passed away in hospital from kidney failure. He collaborated with the likes of Björk, Damon Albarn and performed for Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. President.
Born in Bamako, the largest city of Mali in West Africa, Toumani Diabaté’s father was Sidiki Diabaté Sr, known as “the king of the Kora” and his mother was singer Nene Koita. Despite his father’s musical knowledge, Toumani said he was self taught.
According to The New York Times, “As a child Toumani contracted polio, which left him with a limp for the rest of his life, but he quickly established his bona fides as a kora prodigy. He gave his first performances at 13, with a band from a small town outside Bamako; at 19, he joined the famed Malian singer Kandia Kouyate’s group.”
When he was in his twenties, Toumani Diabaté was invited to perform in London and briefly lived there. It was whilst living in London that he recorded his debut album, entitled Kaira in 1988.
Fans have taken to X to pay tribute to Toumani Diabaté, one said: “Sad to hear this African icon, Toumani Diabaté, has died. A true master of the kora, a beautiful instrument,” whilst another commented: “Mali’s ‘King of Kora,’ Toumani Diabaté, passed away over the weekend, leaving behind his indelible imprint as a prolific creator, willing collaborator, and all time great performer.”
In an interview with Pitchfork in 2007, Toumani Diabaté said that “My music has a history and a legend. My music has a geography. It’s for peace and love and culture, and I think it’s for communication. I think the best way to communicate today is the music. So I really want to know today, how come the kora is not in Hollywood? How come it’s not in hip hop? That’s my dream today.”