The Voice of Kenedougou

Neba Solo and Senufo Sensibility in Malian Music
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-0-19-784252-2
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, 288 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 235 mm

The Voice of Kenedougou invites readers into the world of Neba Solo (né Souleymane Traoré), a singer, bala virtuoso, and one of Mali's most renowned musicians. Born in the Kenedougou region of southeastern Mali, Solo has long been celebrated for his modernization of traditional Senufo music, as reflected in his sophisticated musical arrangements, introduction of professionalized choreography, and development of the bass bala. In The Voice of Kenedougou, Ingrid Monson draws on 20 years of ethnographic collaboration to highlight the many ways in which Solo's work has evolved within the context of Mali's tumultuous contemporary geopolitics. Using a vast collection of audio and video examples, she illuminates the Senufo sensibility from which Solo's compositions emerge, linking the music to broader cultural and historical movements such as recent coup d'états, the development of Mali Kura (New Mali), and the formation of the Alliance of Sahel States, a regional Pan-African confederation formed by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

Distinct from a traditional biography, The Voice of Kenedougou is a journey into Solo's prolific musical achievements set against the stark backdrop of Mali's contemporary political and social challenges.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Monson, Ingrid

Weitere Mitwirkende

Solo, Neba

Inhaltsverzeichnis

- Acknowledgements

- Language and Orthography

- Prologue

- Introduction

- Chapter 1: Senufo Sacred Sensibilities

- Chapter 2: On the Road for Fesbala 2005

- Chapter 3: The Art of Making and Playing the Bala

- Chapter 4: "Diyanyeko" (Passion): Making the Bala Modern

- Chapter 5: Women, Family, and Patriotism

- Chapter 6: The Coup d'État of 2012 and Its Aftermath

- Chapter 7: Neba Solo and the New Mali

- Epilogue: Peace

- Discography

- Abbreviations

- Bibliography

Über Autor(innen)

Ingrid Monson is Quincy Jones Research Professor of African American Music at Harvard University. She has twice served as Chair of the Music Department. She is the author of Freedom Sounds: Civil Rights Call Out to Jazz and Africa (2007), Saying Something: Jazz Improvisation and Interaction (1996), and an edited volume entitled The African Diaspora: A Musical Perspective (2000). Her essays have appeared in Critical Inquiry, Journal of the American Musicological Society, Ethnomusicology, Daedalus, Black Music Research Journal, and many edited volumes. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Neba Solo is Mali's reigning master of the pentatonic bala. He modernized the Senufo bala tradition through designing and building a bigger bass instrument, composing new songs with social commentary, and creating innovative choreography. Raised in the farming village of Nebadougou, Mali, Solo's exceptional talent as a bala player, singer, and

percussionist was recognized when he was a small child. In 1995, he won first prize at the 1995 Doundunba Top Festival in Koutiala, Mali and became Mali's artist of the year the following year. With seven albums as a leader, dozens of videos, and appearances on many other albums including those of Toumani Diabaté and Oumou Sangare, Solo is a seasoned artist. For his towering excellence, in 2019 he was awarded Mali's top honor (Commander of the National Order) by Mali's president.