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. The very first Diabate (originally Dian-baga-te = the irresistible) was mentioned in the Sundiata epic in the 13th century.
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, 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.
At this time the Jelis has already lost their pre-colonial reputation and incoming as guardians of the tradition, speaker of the rulers and tutor of their children. Therefore the principal of the elementary school has repeatedly chased Mamadou away because his parents could not afford the school fees. At that time he decided to build a school that is free for everyone (except for that school principal …)
At the age of just eleven years, frustrated by his future prospects, he ran away from home, because he decided to extend his skills and widen his musical horizons in Bobo Dioulasso, the second largest city and musical capital of Burkina Faso. This happened against the will of his parents, who expected him to stick to their Jeli-tradition. With the help of neo-traditional groups such as Farafina, Sababougnoma, and Frères Coulibaly, who later became world-famous, he learnt other instruments like ngoni (hunter’s harp), dundun (base drum), lunga (talking drum) and the most important one in the “Bobo-Dioulasso style” the djembe. In 1988 his family finally reconciled with him, when his father was looking for a suitable second balafon player for the National Cultural Festival (SNC) of Burkina Faso. The little rebel had, by then, developed into an excellent musician. During the following years they repeatedly won the festival‘s first prize. The video recordings of their successes can be found in the archives of the Burkina Television.
In 1991, together with Ousmane Dembele (“Zoumana”) Moussa Coulibaly and Abdoulaye Dembele, he formed his first band named “Landaya”. Mamadou became the composer and the balafon soloist of the group. In 1998 they won the first prize for the National Culture Festival of Burkina Faso.
During a Pan African Film and Television Festival (FESPACO) in Ouagadougou he got to know an Austrian traveller who was fascinated by the music of the Sambla and recognized Mamadou´s outstanding musical talent. A deep friendship arose from this encounter and in 1998 he persuaded Mamadou to present the Sambla and balafon culture in Europe. Knowing that this would offer a major chance for him, Mamadou took the opportunity very seriously.
In 2000, after absolving the initiation-school of his Sambla heritage, he settled down in Austria. (In order to become adult, young men have to learn the tradition – explained in an ancient secret language that has to be learned first – and complete rituals. The Sambla believe that this sacred tradition is essential for a fortunate life and future.)
Since living in Austria he has released 12 CDs with his own music and collaborated with numerous musicians from various aesthetic and ethnic backgrounds like:
Abdoulaye Diabate, Achim Tang, Alex Jacobowitz, Andre Heller, Anja Losinger, Arkady Shilkloper, Bil Aka Kora, Cheick Tidiane Seck, Christian Kolonovits, Claudio Spieler, Fatoumata Dembele, Günter Meinhart, Habib Koité, Ismet Ruchimat, Jan Heinke, Jon Sass, the kora virtuoso Mamadou Diabate, Maika & Sara Gomez, Neba Solo, Shayan Fathi, Sigi Finkel, Terje Isungset, Thomas Berghammer, Toumani Diabate, Werner Wurm, Wolfgang Puschnig.
Further, he 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 a Ouaga (Burkina Faso) Triangle du Balafon (Mali).
Soon in August 2001 he had his international breakthrough with his CD “Sababu man dogo” (A Chance is not just Anything) with own compositions in the popular Bobo-Dioulasso style, where he played all instrumental parts himself. The Austrian TV (ORF2) and Broadcast (Ö1) presented it in October 2001.
Due to this CD he got the invitation to take part in Wolfgang Meyering’s “Magic Marimba” project at the ‘Tanz- & Folkfest’ of Rudolstadt / Germany in 2003. This was the first big challenge for Mamadou in Europe. Seven musicians from six different countries who never met before were requested to bring along own compositions and set up a complete concert program within three days. There is an excellent 60minutes VHS-documentation about the rehearsals and the concerts produced by the German TV-station MDR.
His second CD “Keneya” (Well-being) in May 2002 became the world premier recording of the Sambla music and language. He had to play all instrumental parts himself, because he was the only Sambla in Austria at this time and this music – or what outsiders consider being beautiful music – is in reality the Sambla language transposed into music. (Without opening the mouth Sambla balafonists can tell stories, report on current events, chat with the people around, mock people who annoy them, and even flirting. For the Sambla people, all this is self-evident. Musicians, who don’t speak this language can’t play Sambla music at all.)
Between 2002 and 2005 he toured with his Afro-Jazz band “Bekadiya” enriched with classical and jazz musicians like Achim Tang (double-bass), Thomas Berghammer (trumpet, flugelhorn), Werner Wurm (trombone), Shayan Fathi (percussion). In 2003 they released the CD “Sira Fila” (Two Ways).
From the very beginning of his life in Austria he cooperates with the saxophonist Sigi Finkel. First as a member of Sigi’s “African Heart” group, then in a Duo. Their Duo-CD “Folikelaw” (a live concert recording) was released in January 2005, their “Yala” in 2010 – both by the Austrian Broadcast. Sigi is one of the very rare European musicians who has managed to learn the Sambla way of playing music.
Together with the kora virtuoso Mamadou Diabate from Mali he composed and recorded music for the audio book “African love poems” in 2007.
With his project “Percussion Mania”, set up in 2006, he focuses again to his West African heritage. It started as a trio and grew up to 7 people on stage, occasionally extended with musicians from other parts of Africa or from South America. Musical dialogs and spectacular balafon duels between the two brothers Mamadou and Seydou Diabate are in the centre of this music. Until now they released three CDs:
- Kamalenya (2006) a trio with Louis Sanou and Karim Sanou;
- Kanuya (2011) with Studio Percussion Graz, Insingizi, Jon Sass, Wolfgang Puschnig, Silvio Gabriel, Ismael Barrios, Edison Tadeu as guest musicians;
- Masaba Kan (2014) with Toumani Diabate and Cheick Tidiane Seck as special guests.
With „ Kanuya“ he won the Austrian Wold Music Award in 2011 and in 2012 the Grand Prix of the “Triangle Du Balafon“ in Sikasso in Mali. For his balafon performance, he was there also honored with the “Prix Alkaly Camara de la virtuosité”.
The promotion of the Sambla, Tusia and Siamou music tradition is a permanent heartfelt desire for him. With his Lege-Lege-Foli project in 2009 the people became the first chance to listen to authentic Sambla and Tusia musicians in Europe. In the same year he released two CDs with their authentic music: the “Sambla Fadenya” and the “Tusia Fadenya”.
His old Austrian friend has been bugging him for years to release a solo balafon album. But the decisive impulse to do so came from observing the Canadian pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin as he played Leopold Godowsky’s Chopin-studies for the left hand. Mamadou was astonished how much was possible with the 5 fingers of only one hand and felt challenged to experiment intensively, in order to find out what is possible with two mallets. The result is his CD “Fenba”, a spectacular firework, was released in 2010.
Since 2008 he takes part in the trio project of Wolfgang Puschnig (alto sax and flute) with Jon Sass (tuba). They released a CD “Mutua” in 2012.
Mamadous latest release „Barokan“ is from 2015 – a trio project together with Dramane Dembele on African flute and Claudio Spieler on percussion. Even fans of classical chamber music would appreciate it.
The next project, called “Douba Foli” is a Percussion Mania-tour with a CD-release in May 2016 with Abdoulaye and Modibo Diabate – two popular singers from Mali – plus Wolfgang Puschnig, Sigi Finkel and Jon Sass.
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 ca. 450 children learn there free of charge. (See: www.sababu.info)
In 2017 he was made Knight of the National Order (Chevalier de l’Ordre National) of Burkina Faso.