Wassoulou music

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wassoulou is a genre of West African popular music, named after the region of Wassoulou. It is performed mostly by women, using lyrics that address women's issues regarding childbearing, fertility and polygamy. Instrumentation includes soku (a traditional fiddle sometimes replaced with modern imported instruments), djembe drum, kamalen n'goni (a six-stringed harp), karignan (metal tube percussion) and bolon (a four-stringed harp). The vocals are typically passionate, emphatic and in a call-and-response format. Prominent artists include Oumou Sangare, Coumba Sidibe, Dienaba Diakite, Kagbe Sidibe, Sali Sidibe and Heather Maxwell. Several of these prominent artists perform on an album called "Wassoulou sound - Women of Mali."