Malian songbird keeps age-old sounds alive at 88
Mariam Bagayoko has spent decades bringing age-old Malian music to audiences around the world
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260825-malian-songbird-keeps-age-old-sounds-alive-at-88
Media Source: France24
Date: 26 August 2026
At the age of 88, barefoot and cinched into a belt of cowrie shells, renowned singer Mariam Bagayoko still sweeps across the stage with infectious energy, dazzling wide-eyed fans with the rhythms of a bygone Mali. Beloved at home and abroad, the "Nightingale of Beledougou" has spent a lifetime carrying the traditional music far…
At the age of 88, barefoot and cinched into a belt of cowrie shells, renowned singer Mariam Bagayoko still sweeps across the stage with infectious energy, dazzling wide-eyed fans with the rhythms of a bygone Mali. Beloved at home and abroad, the "Nightingale of Beledougou" has spent a lifetime carrying the traditional music far beyond her homeland, fighting to keep it alive in the modern world. In late 2025, she received a lifetime achievement honour at the Aga Khan Music Awards in London, emerging as one of 11 final laureates selected from more than 400 candidates across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The jury, which included Malian star Oumou Sangare and renowned Catalan early-music master Jordi Savall, praised her "passionate and unwavering dedication" to preserving and passing on Mali's musical heritage, especially to women and girls.