Amid a changing, modernizing world with climate change threatening his home, Senegalese singer-songwriter and activist Baaba Maal is releasing his first album in seven years, “Being.” The genre-crossing album, released by Marathon Artists last Friday, is explores those themes and showcases traditional African instruments along with futuristic electronic sounds. The first single from the record, “Yerimayo Celebration,” is a jubilant, rabble-rousing celebration of Maal’s roots in the small town of Podor in north Senegal, and the fishing community at its heart. Maal was born into a fisherman class and was expected to follow that career path, but he befriended Mansour Seck, a griot — or traveling storyteller and musician — and was welcomed into his family.
Baaba Maal singer and guitarist, is renowned for his distinctive voice and fusion of traditional West African music with contemporary genres like reggae and rock. Maal was born in 1953 and grew up in a traditional Fulani family in Podor, Senegal, started singing at a young age. Before beginning a great career as a musician, he later studied music in Dakar and Paris. He has since released a number of CDs and worked with musicians all over the world. Maal is an outspoken supporter of causes including environmental protection and the rights of underrepresented groups, and his music frequently discusses social and political topics. One of the most significant and influential African artists of his generation, he is highly recognised.
The Senegalese singer-songwriter and campaigner is releasing “Being,” , amid a changing, modernising world in which climate change threatens his home. These ideas are explored in the cross-genre album, which Marathon Artists published last Friday. It features both traditional African instruments and cutting-edge electronic sounds. The album’s lead hit, “Yerimayo Celebration,” is a joyous, uproarious celebration of Maal’s beginnings in the fishing hamlet at the centre of the town of Podor in north Senegal. Maal, who encountered Mansour Seck, a travelling storyteller and musician, and was accepted into his family, was born into the fishing class and was expected to follow that career path.
“I never thought I would stay in one place and doing one thing every day in my life. This is why music is a really good opportunity for me to go away, first, like a young person, like going on an adventure,” he said. “And it’s a way to liberate me and the people of my generation of this caste system where you have to stay in this place, do the same thing like your father or grandfather.”
Maal’s latest single, “Freak Out,” features vocalist Esau Mwamwaya of The Very Best. The accompanying video of the track showcased scenes from the Blues Du Fleuve festival, which was founded by Maal in his hometown on the Senegal River, which brings together musicians, artists, singers, activists and more from all over West Africa. Maal referred to it as “The Glastonbury of Africa.”
Next up is May 30th, the seasoned performer will headline the Barbican in London for the first time in 20 years, and the crowd can anticipate an unforgettable performance.
“Music is a celebration and music is a party and when it comes to an African party, it has to be an African party,” he added.
As well as being a musician, Maal is also an activist on the topics of climate change and refugees. Since 2003, he has been committed to various development challenges in Africa, working with different United Nations organizations. His NANN-K Trust recently opened a solar-powered irrigation project in Senegal to fight desertification, which is one of the main drivers of people leaving on dangerous migration routes.
Maal is not only a singer, but she is also an advocate for refugees and climate change. He has been working with numerous United Nations organisations since 2003 to address various development issues in Africa. In order to combat desertification, which is one of the main causes of people taking perilous migratory routes, his NANN-K Trust recently inaugurated a solar-powered irrigation project in Senegal.
Maal, who is a strong proponent of giving power to women and young people, will train others to launch similar initiatives in their own areas. “We are chanting, we are crying, we are saying loud that we need a green Africa and a green Africa to make people to live really a normal life, to face climate change, desertification — all of that,” he said.
Maal, who is 69 years old, also contributed to the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” soundtrack. His involvement in Marvel’s blockbuster franchise has introduced him to a new, far younger audience. He thinks the franchise may give the African continent fresh optimism. The films are set in Wakanda, a mythical African paradise with the most cutting-edge technology in the world and a strong tradition. The Afrofuturism in the “Black Panther” movies serves as a model for Africa, according to the visionary artist.
“I have a feeling … that something great should be coming from this continent again, and something positive for the world,” he said. He describe it as “a door which is open for Africa, not just for Baaba Maal.” “It’s for the continent,” he said.
