Diabate, Mamadou

Künstlername: Diabate, Mamadou
Ort: 1160 Wien
Land: Österreich
Telefon 1: +43 (0)699 1903 5254
E-Mail: mamadou_diabate(at)hotmail.com
Web: www.mamadoudiabate.com
Link: https://www.musikergilde.at/mitglied/Mamadou-Diabate.htm

Mamadou Diabate was born in 1973 into a West African "Jeli" family in Burkina Faso. In his family there is a long tradition of practising the profession of story telling and music making.

He was about 5 years old when his professional education began. His first teacher was his father Peneque Diabate, who in his days was considered the best balafon player far beyond the borders of the Sambla culture. His xylophone solo could be heard as the signal on Radio Burkina for over ten years. His older brothers, Sadama and Sibiri, who, today, are the most popular balafon players of the Sambla, also taught him. 
He was 8 years old, when he began to complete his apprenticeship with well-known balafon players of the neighbouring cultures like the Siamou, Tusia, Senufo, Gan, Lobi, Dagara and Bobo. Due to Daouda Diabate (1957-2018), his teacher in the Tusia region, his virtuosity became outstanding - some people say, he would have more than two hands. Daouda was the "grand master" of playing the balafon in a sophisticated  polyphonic and polymetric way. This difficult technique allows Mamadou in his solo concerts to create the impression, that three balafonists are playing together.
In 2000, he settled down in Austria. Since then, he travelled  a lot and was invited to many international festivals like: Glatt & Verkehrt Festival (Austria), Brosella Festival (Belgium), Masala (Germany), 5em continent (Switzerland), Colours of Ostrava (Czech Republic), Global Village Festivals (Denmark), Saalfelden Jazz Festival (Austria), Ingolstadt Jazz Festival (Germany), Ice Music Festival (Norway), Tanz- & Folkfest' of Rudolstadt (Germany), Printemps de Musical (LUX), Afrika Festival Wuerzburg (Germany), Global Village Moscow (Russia), Rain Forest Festival (Malaysia), Fleur de Niger (Mali), Sunsplash Wiesen (Austria), Kasumama (Austria), Chiala Graz (Austria), Weltmusik Festival Bielefeld (Germany), Afrika Festival Wassertrüderingen (Germany), Sufi Sutra (India), Jazz à Ouaga (Burkina Faso), Triangle du Balafon (Mali), WOMAD, Africajarc Festival (France).  

The most burning heartfelt desire for Mamadou since his childhood, to help poor children in Burkina Faso to get education, came into reality on the 14th September 2010, when after 6 years of hard work and with the great help of benevolent people and organisations in Europe his elementary school in Bobo Dioulasso was officially opened. Today over 600 children learn there free of charge. His school was the seventh best among the 38 primary schools of Bobo Dioulasso in 2019.

In 2016 he was made Knight of the National Order (Chevalier de l'Ordre National) of Burkina Faso.