Mamadou Diabaté is a master balafon player, composer and educator from Burkina Faso. Representing the Sambla people of rural Burkina Faso, Diabaté was born into a jeli lineage of hereditary traditional musicians well-known for their storytelling and musical traditions. Diabaté, who was knighted by the National Order of Burkina Faso in 2019, has worked with institutions like Dartmouth College to teach and preserve the Sambla balafon language. He is also the founder of Sababu, a free primary school for underprivileged children in Burkina Faso.