Fatoumata Diawara (Mali)

We are proud to invite Fatoumata Diawara back to Oslo World, where she has performed several times before, the last time at Cosmopolite in 2018. This time, she will be the first ever female artist from the African continent to perform a solo concert at the Norwegian Opera House in Bjørvika.

There are several important facets to Fatoumatas artistry. She is a role model who sheds light on women's issues, and who furthers the cause of her home country, Mali, with pride and self awareness. She is an electric performer, who is also capable of intimate, subtle musical moments. She is a guitar virtuoso and a singer of rare format. She has done backing vocals for Oumou Sangaré (among other places at Oslo World), and she has cooperated with everyone from Bobby Womack to Damon Albarn. She will return to Oslo with her new project “Maliba” this fall.

Maliba is a collaboration with Google Arts & Culture, made in connection with an online presentation of the Timbuktu manuscripts, a huge number of ancient texts which have been preserved by families in Timbuktu. In the collection, we find everything from religious scriptures to writings about art, medicine and philosophy. “This project means a lot to me. To be involved in the protection of the Timbuktu Manuscripts is a huge honor. Conditions for men and women in Mali are very different and for a woman to be involved in this cultural preservation is very important. It is unbelievable to be part of it and it feels like a dream,” she has said. Diawara recorded the album, deeply influenced by the wassoulou rhythms in her own studio in Bamoko, with contributions from the rapper Master Soumy and Tamasheq singers.

The concert in Bjørvika will be one of the first times this music is performed live, and it will be Fatoumatas fourth visit to Oslo World. Her first solo concert, at Parkteatret in 2012, was a memorable occasion. Her concert at Cosmopolite in 2018 blew the roof off. Now, a special venue and a special project beckons. We can’t wait.

Thanks to Institut français de Norvège for supporting this concert.

THE MOVEMENT TOUR

4. november: Tromsø World
6. november: Oslo World