Dimi Mint Abba ( ar, ديمي منت آبا; 25 December 1958 – June 2011)
was one of
Mauritania's most famous musicians.
She was born Loula Bint Siddaty Ould Abba in
Tidjikja
Tidjikja () is the capital of the Tagant region of central Mauritania, lying on the Tagant plateau. Founded in 1680, it has a population of around 11,000 people.
The town is known for its palm trees and its vernacular architecture. The town ...
in
Mauritania.
1958, into a low-caste ("iggawin") family specializing in the
griot
A griot (; ; Manding: jali or jeli (in N'Ko: , ''djeli'' or ''djéli'' in French spelling); Serer: kevel or kewel / okawul; Wolof: gewel) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician.
The griot is a repos ...
tradition.
Life and career
Dimi's parents were both musicians (her father had been asked to compose the Mauritanian national anthem), and she began playing at an early age. Her professional career began in 1976, when she sang on the radio and then competed, the following year, in the
Umm Kulthum
Umm Kulthum ( ar, أم كلثوم, , also spelled ''Oum Kalthoum'' in English; born Fatima Ibrahim es-Sayyid el-Beltagi, ar, فاطمة إبراهيم السيد البلتاجي, Fāṭima ʾIbrāhīm es-Sayyid el-Beltāǧī, link=no; 31 Dece ...
Contest in
Tunis
''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois
, population_note =
, population_urban =
, population_metro = 2658816
, population_density_km2 =
, timezone1 = CET
, utc_offset1 ...
. Her winning song "Sawt Elfan" ("Art's Plume") has the refrain ''"Art's Plume is a balsam, a weapon and a guide enlightening the spirit of men"'', which can be interpreted to mean that artists play a more important role than warriors in society.
Her first international release was on the
World Circuit record label, following a recommendation from
Ali Farka Touré. On this album, she was accompanied by her husband Khalifa Ould Eide and her two daughters.
Later she composed famous and popular Mauritanian songs like "Hailala" and "Koumba bay bay". She died on June 4, 2011, in
Casablanca, Morocco
Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econo ...
following a stage accident in
Aioun ten days earlier when she was singing for Sahrawi public. Dimi in her lifetime had toured African countries widely, Europe in (1989) and (2006) respectively, the United States (US) in (1993), Australia in (2009).
She died of a
cerebral hemorrhage.
Her death was described as "a national loss" by
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz ( ar, محمد ولد عبد العزيز ''Muḥammad Wald 'Abd al-'Azīz''; born 20 December 1956) is a former Mauritanian politician who was the 8th President of Mauritania, in office from 2009 to 2019. A career sold ...
, the former
President of Mauritania
This is a list of heads of state of Mauritania since the country gained independence from France in 1960 to the present day.
A total of nine people have served as head of state of Mauritania (not counting one Acting President). Additionally, o ...
.
Discography
;Albums
*Khalifa Ould Eide & Dimi Mint Abba, Moorish Music from Mauritania. World Circuit WCD 019, 1990.
*Dimi Mint Abba, Music and Songs of Mauritania, Auvidis Ethnic 1992.
;Contributing artist
*''
The Rough Guide to West African Music
''The Rough Guide to West African Music'' is a world music compilation album originally released in 1995. The second release of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, it largely focuses on Malian music, with six of the twelve tracks comin ...
'',
World Music Network
World Music Network is a UK-based record label specializing in world music.
The World Music Network website features news, reviews, live music listings, and guide sections on world music. It also features an online "Battle of the Bands" competit ...
, 1995
* ''
Unwired: Africa'', World Music Network, 2000
See also
*
Music of Mauritania The music of Mauritania comes predominantly from the country's largest ethnic group: the Moors. In Moorish society musicians occupy the lowest caste, iggawin. Musicians from this caste used song to praise successful warriors as well as their patro ...
References
External links
Sharjah Art FoundationBBC Press Release
on her 2006 appearance in The Proms
The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...
.
BBC Recording
of her 2006 appearance at WOMAD.
BBC Report
on her 2004 appearance at WOMAD
WOMAD ( ; World of Music, Arts and Dance) is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance.
History
WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, w ...
.
MondomixAfropop worldwide
Culturebase
(in German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abba, Dimi Mint
1958 births
2011 deaths
Mauritanian women singers
Mauritanian music
World Circuit (record label) artists
Mauritanian songwriters