BIOGRAPHY

Don’t be fooled by his youthful appearance, this Malian artist, dubbed “Baba MD” or just Emdé, is an accomplished vocalist and master instrumentalist. Established in Montreal since 2018, it was in Sikasso in the south of Mali that the traditional rhythms first took hold of Mamoutou Dembélé. Drawing from his griot roots, he is able to integrate ancient musical forms with age-old instruments such as the djembe, doundoun, tamanin and calebasse drum. Highly skilled and ingenious, he fashioned his own kora with 15 strings, which he calls the bahinu (or bahouinou , meaning “a man’s strings.”) His virtuosity has charmed many world-renowned artists with whom he has played, including Oumou Sangaré, Toumani and Sidiki Diabaté, who are also from Mali, and Senegalese artist, Didier Awadi.

Since 2008, when he performed at the Festival sur le Niger de Ségou, Mamoutou Dembélé has made a name for himself across the whole of Europe, inviting his audiences to immerse themselves in the blues of the legendary Mandinka lands, bask along the rivers of jazz, wander through the concrete jungles to the sounds of rock, while incorporating a touch of reggae and funk for good measure. Eager to give back to the country of his birth and to contribute to its musical vitality, he turned his attention towards the country’s youth and created the Dembe Diarra cultural association in 2008. Mamoutou Dembélé’s generous soul serves as a bridge between tradition and future tomorrows.