Oumou Sangaré
Oumou Sangaré (Bambara: Umu Sangare; born 25 February 1968 in Bamako) is a Grammy Award-winning Malian Wassoulou musician of Fulani or Fula descent.[1] She is often referred to as "The Songbird of Wassoulou".[2] Wassoulou is a historical region south of the Niger River, where the music descends from age-old traditional song, often accompanied by a calabash.
Oumou Sangaré
Early life[edit]
Sangaré was born in 1968 to singer Aminata Diakité and Sidiki Sangaré, both of whom originated from the Wassoulou region.[3][4][5] In 1970, her father took a second wife and moved to Abidjan, leaving Sangaré, her mother and her siblings behind in Bamako.[4] She began singing in the streets to help her mother, leaving school at an early age to do so.[3][4] Her career began in 1973 when, at the age of five, she won an inter-kindergarten singing competition in Bamako, going on to perform before an audience of several thousand at the Omnisport stadium.[5][6][7] At 16, she went on tour with the percussion group Djoliba, touring in France, Germany, the Netherlands, the Caribbean, and elsewhere.[6] Inspired by her reception on tour, Sangaré returned to Bamako and established her own musical group.[6]
Personal life, politics and business[edit]
Sangaré is an advocate for women's rights, opposing child marriage and polygamy.[12]
Sangaré is also involved in the world of business, including hotels, agriculture, and automobiles. She has launched a car, the "Oum Sang", manufactured by a Chinese firm and marketed in conjunction with her own company Gonow Oum Sang.[13] She is the owner of the 30-room Hotel Wassoulou in Mali's capital, Bamako, a haven for musicians and her own regular performing space. "I helped build the hotel myself. I did it to show women that you can make your life better by working. And many more are working these days, forming co-operatives to make soap or clothes."
Sangaré has also been a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, but says she does not want to be a politician: "While you're an artist, you're free to say what you think; when you're a politician, you follow instructions from higher up."[4]
She is a half-sister of Polish-born actor Omar Sangare.[14]