Sun March 04 2018  —  e-mail Manfred

Segou, Festival sur le Niger. 3rd day. Amadou Mariam.

Flag Mali

Thursday, February 04 2006

1 year, 6 month, 13 days

Segou, Mali

About Travel Photography,
Colors of the World.

Manfred is creator of ThisFabTrek.com, travel photography, a travel blog and a photography blog (a journey from 2004 to 2013). 'I set out to see the colors of the world, always I try to capture the colors'.

Seeing, is understanding, so I report and photograph, but formost enjoy and live those different conceptions of life (all that TV [and the web] cannot give). I reject jealousy, animosity, bigotry. Be free!

Manfred in the desert of the Western Sahara

The mind, when pondering at night and always asked those questions. What am I doing in corporate wonderland of bank, university, office or church? Who is the other animal asleep deep inside, the thinker, punk, creative, or Indian, vagabond and healer, maybe artist, writer, photographer, traveler, globetrotter? Oh God, dare you to think. When I saw the lies, gambles and manipulations I follow the old dream and set out for the journey of life lived, the journey to see the colors of the world.

During years on the road I have taken the turns as they came along, and realized one thing: Only such a small part of the planet can be explored and such a vast land and sea mass will always remain unknown, to me; many swamps, jungles, deserts and oceans will never be traveled. But then I am father of twin boys, Daniel and David, my most important, and I show them some of the wonders and colors out there.

ThisFabTrek, Photography and Journey, the Stories from the Road and Life around the World, stopped in August 2013 after more than 9 years, Love and Peace.

Last vehicle.

G20, Chevy Gladiator.

Chevrolet Gladiator G20, The boys in Cordillera Blanca, Peru.
The boys and Chevy van, Peru.

The G20, the vehicle that came to me for the Americas adventures.

6 wheeled Land Rover.

Land Rover Defender 6x6
Link to Foley

The vehicle of the Africa adventures, a Foley 6-Wheeled Land Rover Defender.

Before, the MB307.

Manfred and MB307
Journey, Middle East.

The vehicle of the Middle-East and North-Cape Journeys. See all vehicles.

Daniel and David with nanny Aisha, the best we ever had, black African Woman carrying white twin babies, in Bamako, Mali.

Land Rover 45,508km

Trekking 305km

Ferry 694km

Train 150km

Other cars 5.336km

Travel Blog

contains Festival/Fiesta/Art photography.

"There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come." - Victor Hugo.

"What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it, to tell the tale." Living to Tell the Tale - Gabriel García Márquez.

"They never taught wandering in any school I attended. ... they never taught the art of writing a book, either. It's all so mysterious."
"Wandering is an art in itself. Wandering and writing don't mix"
"Writing demands commitment and if one thing your wanderer is allergic to is that very quality of commitment, for once one is committed he runs that very risk of failure ..." Wanderer - Sterling Hayden.

"Photography enables you to grasp a place first time round. ... Photography is a means of exploration, it's a vital part of travel, almost as essential as a car or a plane. " - Wim Wenders.

"The worst prejudice we acquire during our youth is the idea that life is serious. Children have the right instincts: they know that life is not serious, and treat it as a game..." , Egon Friedell.

"How far you gonna go. Before you lose your way back home" - Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World, Achtung Baby, U2.

"If you want to be a hero well just follow me." - Working Class Hero, John Lennon.

"When I think of all the things I have done, I know that it's only just begun." - I love you, Lou Reed.

"One does not escape the Sahara - the Sahara let's you go or not" - Touareg.

"Planet earth is blue and there`s nothing I can do" - This is Ground Control to Major Tom, David Bowie.

"Glory for the crazy people/in this stupid world" - Ahmed Fouad Negm.

www.thisfabtrek.com > journey > africa > mali > 20060204-segou-more

Amadou & Mariam

"Dimanche à Bamako", the Manu Chow produced album that I have been listening ever since after the festival till today (back in Vienna). And surprise, back in Vienna on FM4 our Austrian "alternative" radio channel it is being played with some regularity, above all their song Coulibali. No wonder they have just won the BBC Radio3 award for World Music 2006: "Every now and then, a group manages to get just about everything right".

'The fizziest afro-pop blues ever bottled' ***** The Observer, 'African rhythms, sweet soul harmonies and '60s Memphis guitar' **** Mojo Magazine. Effortlessly funky yet full of insanely catchy tunes. Dimanche a Bamako has now sold close to 500,000 copies around the world and is still gaining momentum.
Once a decade, it seems, a record emerges from the dense and vibrant undergrowth of the world music scene to achieve mass popular success in the mainstream. read it all on their web-page).

The amusing paradox carried by the songs of this blind couple from Mali is that they also have the power to return sight to those who think they can already see.

more here and at charlie gillett or listen into their music on nonesuch.

Mariam.
Mariam.
Amadou.
Amadou.

Amadou and Mariam.
Amadou & Mariam.
Amadou and Mariam.
Blind couple of Mali
Amadou and Mariam.
Le Couple Aveugle du Mali.

Amadou and Mariam.
Amadou & Mariam.
Amadou and Mariam, blind bass player.
Blind bass.
Amadou and Mariam, blind bass player.
Amadou.

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Baba Salah

We saw Baba Salah in Essakane, but his show is distinctively different in Segou. The winterly more conservative desert north of Saharan Mali must have cooled down his temper then. To Segou he brings 2 hot dancers, and a 3rd background voice and his guitar playing rocks Hedrix style.

Meilleure révélation de l'Année (Best start-up of the year 2003), Meilleur Artiste du Festival du Désert (best artist at the festival au desert), Meilleur Artiste de la Chaîne 2 (best artiat on channel 2 Malian radio 2004). Interview in French on Bamako-Culture.

Baba Salah smiles.
Baba Salah smiles.
Baba Salah microphones.
A hot rocking show.
Baba Salah, guitarplayer.
with a great band, ...
Baba Salah, stage.
... great dancers and background voices.

It seems every musician has to bring dancers, and frankly the competition is on of who brings the hottest, sexiest, quickest ...

Dancers, 2 girls
Baba dancers ....
Dancers, 2 girls
The hottest act ....
Dancers, 2 girls
in Segou.
Dancers, 2 girls
The belt is gone.

Baba Salah
Baba.
Baba Salah
Hendrix.
Baba Salah
From Djembie to Calabash.

Baba background singers, 3 girls.
Baba`s singers.
Baba background singers, 3 girls.
Not trailing the dancers.
Baba background singers, 3 girls.
She's a bit shy/timide.
Baba background singers, 3 girls.
They were just 2 in Essakane..

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Abdoulaye Diabaté

Abdoulaye Diabate
Abdoulaye Diabaté.
Abdoulaye Diabate Saxophone detail
Sax det.
Abdoulaye Diabate Saxophone detail
Saxophone.
Abdoulaye Diabate stage.
stage.

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Sékouba Bambino

Sekouba Bambino, and stage lightening
Master of speech, song and music, star from Guinea.

Martin Sinnock has an extensive Bambino feature article on AfricaSounds. Sekouba Bambino's Sinikan record, appreciated on BBC World Review.

Now back in Vienna I frequently listen to Sekouba's music, above all his Sinikan album.

Amazing and I cannot understand why, why I would not like him that evening on stage in Segou. In fact he starts out in true star-like manner and the crowd adores him, but then is talking way to much. And I hate TV and show masters.

But maybe when you don't understand the language, maybe you don't understand at all .... (Or you should not judge).

Sekouba Bambino
Sekouba Bambino, the politician,
Sekouba Bambino
show master, preacher.
Sekouba Bambino
He is really good,
Sekouba Bambino
But soon the music takes a back seat,
Sekouba Bambino
and we are left with a TV entertainer.
Sekouba Bambino
But maybe it is just me, ...?.

Sekouba Bambino
Of course he has those fantastic ...
Sekouba Bambino
background voices.
Sekouba Bambino
Heated climax of the evening.

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Tiken Jah Fakoly

The biggest reggae star in West-Africa comes on stage by complete surprise. He has been in the area, has heard of the festival and then he is on stage.

rfi-musique biography of Tiken Jah Fakoly.

From Ivory Coast, strongly influenced by political developments/civil war in his country, his songs talk a lot about corruptness of/in politics and politicians. "Politiciens", "Discrimination", "Nationalité", "Le pay va mal (the land isn't going well)" and "Ils ont partagé le monde ... Ils ont partagé l'afrique ... sans nous consulter (They have partitioned the world ... and Africa without asking us...." recently on Coup de Gueule.

Thus he became famous, a speaker at protests and political meetings. The more his music was censored at home the more he shot to fame.

Nowadays with his extreme popularity, Tiken Jah Fakoly has involved himself in mediation and reconciliation in his country talking of tolerance and pardon on all sides. (lefaso in French).

Tiken Jah Fakoly
Tiken Jah Fakoly.
Tiken Jah Fakoly
Tiken Jah Fakoly.

Obviously when Tiken Jah Fakoly comes on stage some freak out completely/can't hold back their enthusiasm. He is a hero.

during Tiken Jah Fakoly's staging some of the audiance in the water in front of stage.
Vendeur d'artisana, Abdoul.
people in water
I meet him next day.
people in water
Tiken Jah Fakoly crowd.
people in the water in front of stage.
And he is pretty proud.
people in water
of his act, I would be too.

www.thisfabtrek.com > journey > africa > mali > 20060204-segou-more

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