Bako Dagnon
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Bako Dagnon (1948 or 1953 – 7 July 2015) was a
Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
an
griot A griot (; ; Manding languages, Manding: or (in N'Ko script, N'Ko: , or in French spelling); also spelt Djali; or / ; ) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. Griots are masters of communicatin ...
singer. She is considered to be a popular representative of
Mandinka Mandinka, Mandika, Mandinkha, Mandinko, or Mandingo may refer to: Media * Mandingo (novel), ''Mandingo'' (novel), a bestselling novel published in 1957 * Mandingo (film), ''Mandingo'' (film), a 1975 film based on the eponymous 1957 novel * ''Man ...
culture and has released several records in local languages.


Early life

Bako Dagnon was born in the little village of Golobladji, around 20 kilometers away from Kita in a family of
griot A griot (; ; Manding languages, Manding: or (in N'Ko script, N'Ko: , or in French spelling); also spelt Djali; or / ; ) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. Griots are masters of communicatin ...
s and n'goni players. The origins of her family can be traced back to the time of
Sundiata Keita Sundiata Keita ( Mandinka, Malinke: ; 1217 – c. 1255, N'Ko spelling: ; also known as Manding Diara, Lion of Mali, Sogolon Djata, son of Sogolon, Nare Maghan and Sogo Sogo Simbon Salaba) was a prince and founder of the Mali Empire. He was als ...
. In her birth village, she learned the songs from
Ségou Ségou (; , ) is a town and an Communes of Mali, urban commune in south-central Mali that lies northeast of Bamako on the right bank of the River Niger. The town is the capital of the Ségou Cercle and the Ségou Region. With 130,690 inhabitant ...
from her grandmother and those from
Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
from her mother, while her grandfather who had fought with
Samori Ture Samori Ture ( – June 2, 1900), also known as Samori Toure, Samory Touré, or Almamy Samore Lafiya Toure, was a Mandinka people, Malinke and a Soninke people, Soninke Muslim cleric, military strategist, and founder of the Wassoulou Empire, an Is ...
taught her battlefields songs. Her mother died when Bako Dagnon was seven years old, her father sent her into the care of a childless wife of a griot in Kita. Because she was badly treated that she finally left her adopted family later on to study the stories of the Mandinka Empire before its colonisation (the "tariku") with the grand Mandinka griot Kele Monson Diabate.


Career


First success

In 1966, Bako Dagnon gave her first public concert in Kita during the local edition of the "Youth Week" (''Semaine de la Jeunesse''). This event had been created by the first president
Modibo Keïta Modibo Keïta (4 June 1915 – 16 May 1977) was a Malian politician who served as the first President of Mali from 1960 to 1968. He espoused a form of African socialism. He was deposed in a coup d'état in 1968 by Moussa Traoré. Born and ra ...
to "boost the cultural traditions of Mali". She performed a
Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people are an ethnic group in Sahara, Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, South Sudan, Darfur, ...
song in Bambara, ''Yirijanko Le'', for which she won an award that allowed her to participate at the regional edition of the "Youth Week" of
Kayes Region Kayes Region ( Bambara: ߞߊߦߌ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ tr. Kayi Dineja, ) is one of ten first level national subdivisions in Mali called Regions. It is the first administrative area of Mali and covers an area of . Its capital is the town of Kayes. The ...
the following year. There she won again and performed at the national competition, the Bamako Biennale. Following these successes she performed regularly with the Regional Orchestra of Kita. In Bamako, she sang on weddings and gained popularity.


Work with the Ensemble Instrumental National

On demand of the Minister of Arts, Sports and Culture of the time, in 1974, Bako Dagnon joined Mali's National Instrumental Ensemble (''Ensemble Instrumental National'' or EIN) which had been established shortly after the declaration of independence in 1961. The EIN was the most prestigious music ensemble in the country and consisted of about forty of the best Malian musicians. Although Bako Dagnon didn't live in Bamako but in Kita with her husband and children, she regularly performed with the EIN. She also joined the EIN on a concert tour in Korea and China, where she played for Mao. Her performances led to an increase of her own reputation and that of the EIN as well. She gained notoriety in the whole of Mali with the song ''Tiga Monyonko'' (meaning "while peeling peanuts") which remains one of her most popular songs.


Career without the EIN

It was only in 1980 that the singer chose to move to Bamako with her children. After a serious road accident, Bako Dagnon decided to leave the National Instrumental Ensemble of Mali which at the time was also suffering from a lack of funding and the omnipresent government corruption. In 1990, she was offered a record deal by an Indian music producer from
Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...
and registered her first cassette record. After the recording of a second cassette, the production company disappeared in the midst of the
First Liberian Civil War The First Liberian Civil War was the first of Second Liberian Civil War, two civil wars within the West African nation of Liberia which lasted between 1989 and 1997. President Samuel Doe's regime of totalitarianism and widespread Political cor ...
. In the 1990s, Bako Dagnon continued giving public and private concerts. She did no recordings until the beginning of the 2000s when she also managed in gaining popularity outside of Mali. She participated on the albums ''Mandekalou'' (2004) and ''Mandekalou II'' (2006) of the Mandika griot collective of the same name of
Ibrahima Sylla Ibrahima Sylla (2 April 1956 – 30 December 2013) was a Senegalese record producer born in Ivory Coast and founder of the African music label Syllart Records. He was a musician whose production and music direction defined popular African music. ...
. She also appeared on the song ''Donso Ke'' on the album ''Electro Bamako'' (2006) by Marc Minelli. Her first international solo album, ''Titati'', was again produced by Ibrahima Sylla and appeared on his label Syllart Records in 2007. François Bréant was the musical director. ''Sidiba'', her seventh album, was released two years later. The song ''Le guide de la révolution'' was the only song in French and was released as a single. On 14 January 2009, Bako Dagnon was made a knight of the
National Order of Mali The National Order of Mali () is the highest of honorific orders of Mali. History The National Order of Mali was founded on 31 May 1963 to celebrate the independence of the country acquired in 1960 after decades of French colonisation. As ...
.


Death

Bako Dagnon died on 7 July 2015 at around six in the morning at the Hospital of Point-G in
Bamako Bamako is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country. Bamak ...
after a long illness. Her funeral was organised the following day in the neighbourhood Hamdallaye ACI 2000 where she had been living. The funeral took place in the presence of numerous personalities, including members of the government and Keïta Aminata Maiga, the
First Lady of Mali First Lady of Mali (French: ''Première dame du Mali'') is the title held by the wife of the president of Mali, concurrent with the president's term of office. The present first lady is Lala Diallo, wife of interim President Assimi Goïta, who ha ...
from 2013 to 2020.


Discography (incomplete)

* 2004: ''Mandekalou: The Art and Soul of the Mande Griots I'' (Album as part of the griot collective Mandekalou) * 2006: ''Mandekalou: The Art and Soul of the Mande Griots II'' (Album as part of the griot collective Mandekalou) * 2007: ''Titati '' (Solo album) * 2009: ''Sidiba'' (Solo album) * 2010: ''Le guide de la révolution'' (Solo single)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dagnon, Bako 20th-century Malian women singers 2015 deaths Knights of the National Order of Mali People from Kayes Region 21st-century Malian women singers