Golden voice of Africa takes stage for first time in Türkiye

By Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) - Renowned Malian singer and songwriter Salif Keita took to the stage Friday in Türkiye for the first time as part of the Baskent (Capital) Culture Road Festival held by the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

Nicknamed the Golden Voice of Africa, Keita captivated his Turkish and African fans during his performance at the Presidential Symphony Orchestra (CSO) Concert Hall in Ankara.

Born in 1949 in Mali and raised as an albino with limited eyesight, Keita comes from a noble family and is a descendant of 13th-century King Sundiata Keita, who was a prince and founder of the Mali Empire.

One of the best African singers of the past century, he has fused a wide range of local African rhythms with jazz and blues and Afro Pop dance-music genres.

He founded The Salif Keita Global Foundation in 2015 to assist those with albinism at a global level.

Keita's soundtrack, Tomorrow, was featured in a documentary on the life and legend of Muhammad Ali. He has released 25 albums.

Devoting himself fully to his foundation, Keita announced his retirement from recording after releasing, Un Autre blanc, or Another White, in 2018.

- Time has come for Africa

Speaking to reporters about his concert, he said: "I want to both introduce African music to the people in Ankara, and the culture of Africa in tonight's concert."

He was very happy to give a concert in Ankara and said he was very pleased with the hospitality shown to him in Türkiye.

Regarding the process that Africa is going through, he said: "The time has come for Africa in the world. Now is the time for Africa to dream and make dreams come true. Africa is currently on a rise."

He said the music in Türkiye is similar to his home country.

"As far as I've heard, the music of Mali and Türkiye is actually not that far away,” he said. "I had the opportunity to get to know Turkish artists who play instruments very well. I hope that we will have the opportunity to work with Turkish artists in the future as well."

Aiming to introduce Ankara's cultural, architectural and historical heritage to the international area, the Capital Culture Road Festival will host 560 events with 5,971 artists, 179 academics and historians.

In addition to Merlin, Latin Grammy Award-winning singer Concha Buika and Keita, Austrian soprano Anna Prohaska will take the stage in Ankara as part of the festival that will run through June 12.

The Turkish State Polyphonic Choir is also set to play the works of Johannes Brahms, Edvard Grieg, Samuel Barber and Peteris Vasks at the CSO ADA Ankara concert complex.