Abdoulaye Boureima (born 1 January 1973), popularly known as Mali Yaro, is a

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

ien Songhai musician. He began his artistic career as a young goumbé player (a traditional songhai music instrument made of a

calabash Calabash (; ''Lagenaria siceraria''), also known as bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, long melon, birdhouse gourd, New Guinea bean, New Guinea butter bean, Tasmania bean, and opo squash, is a vine grown for its fruit. It can be either harvest ...

covered with cowhide). Then, together with friends, formed in 1996 a music group, the Goumbé Stars. Mali Yaro songs were about love, rejoicing and a call for cohesion. Mali Yaro has produced 9 albums. He has performed in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and in several other countries in Africa and elsewhere.

Early life

Mali Yaro was born in Sirfi Koira, a town in the Tillaberi Region of

. Mali Yaro dropped out of school in 1987 due to his love for music and travelled to the Nigerien Capital,

Niamey Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. As the Niamey Urban Community (, CUN), it is a Regions of Niger, first-level division of Niger, surrounded by the Tillabéri Region, in the western part of the country. Niamey lies on the Nige ...

in pursuit of his ambition.

Career

Mali Yaro became a minor celebrity entertainer in the city's nightlife in the late 1990s, using the characteristic songhai goumbé instrument and rhythms. In 1995, Mali founded his band, the "Goumbé star" band. In the 2000s, Mali issued five albums between 2000 and 2010. He recorded his first album in 2000 "''Mali Bero''" where he paid homage to the great warrior of the

Zarma people The Zarma people are an ethnic group predominantly found in westernmost Niger. They are also found in significant numbers in the adjacent areas of Nigeria and Benin, along with smaller numbers in Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, and Sudan ...

, Mali Bero. In 2002, he released his second album ''Walambandi'', in which he talked about the problems encountered by the Nigerien society. His third album was released in 2005 dedicated to ''Women''. His fourth album, ''Peace'' released in January 2008 at a time when Niger was going through insecurity in its north, he invited the rebels and the military to lay down their arms for a united and prosperous Niger. In 2010, Mali Yaro released his fifth album ''Toula''.

Awards

Mali Yaro received the Goodwill Ambassador for street children in Niamey for his philanthropic activities.

References

{{reflist 21st-century Nigerien male singers Songhai people Zarma people 20th-century Nigerien male singers 1973 births Living people Zarma-Songhai people