Ramata "Rah" Diakité (Madina Diansa,

Wassoulou Wassoulou, sometimes spelled Wassulu, Wassalou, or Ouassalou, is a cultural area and historical region surrounding the point where the borders of Mali, Ivory Coast, and Guinea meet. Home to about 160,000 people, it is bordered by the Niger Riv ...

, 1976 -

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

October 30, 2009) was a Malian

musician. She was the cousin of Tata Diakité, who also died young. "Comme sa cousine Tata Diakité, Rah s'est éclipsée de la scène à la fleur de l'âge"

Life and origins

Ramata was born in 1976. Although Ramata did not come from a family of traditional musicians, when she was about twelve, Ramata started humming to herself in secret, accompanying herself on a gourd. In Wassoulou (and other areas of Mali), music is usually created by those of a certain caste ( jeli/griot), and it can be controversial for artists outside of these castes to perform.

Salif Keita Salif Keïta () (born 25 August 1949) is a Malian singer-songwriter, referred to as the "Golden Voice of Africa". He is a member of the Keita royal family of Mali. Early life Salif Keita was born a traditional prince in the village of Djolib ...

is likely the most prominent example of a non-musical-caste performer to confront and conquer adversity relating to these cultural restrictions. Ramata's aunt, Djénéba Diakité, asked her to sing backing vocals on a cassette, which was the start of her musical career, even though Ramata's parents frowned on the idea. As a backing vocalist, Ramata's vocal potential was quickly spotted, and she gained concert experience thanks to trips to France and throughout Africa. She was soon called upon as a vocalist by many artists and arrangers, notably Samba Diallo, Yoro Diallo, and Tenin Sidibé. In December 1995 she recorded her first cassette, ''Artistes'', a bestseller in Mali in 1996. She gave many concerts and took part, along with Salif Keita, in a Mali evening at the Cité de la Musique in Paris in October 1997. Ramata died on October 30, 2009, in Burkina Faso of complications related to a year-long battle with

Hepatitis A Hepatitis A is an infectious liver disease caused by Hepatitis A virus (HAV); it is a type of viral hepatitis. Many cases have few or no symptoms, especially in the young. The time between infection and symptoms, in those who develop them, is ...

Music

Ramata has performed with

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

Toumani Diabaté Toumani Diabaté ( ; 10 August 1965 – 19 July 2024) was a Malian kora player. In addition to performing the traditional music of Mali, he was involved in cross-cultural collaborations with flamenco, blues, jazz, and other international styl ...

Dee Dee Bridgewater Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Denise Garrett, May 27, 1950) is an American jazz singer and actress. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. For 23 years, she was the host of National ...

Ben Harper Benjamin Charles Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music, and he is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, liv ...

, and others.

Discography

*2008: Burutumu (to be released) *2006: Maban *2004: I Dansé mady *2003: Djonya *2000: Confirmation *1998: Na *1995: Artistes

Prizes and awards

*2006: Tamana d'Or, Top Musician in Mali (co-winner with Salif Keita)

Notes and references

External links

Ramata's Official Site

Ramata's MySpace

Ramata's Label
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diakite, Ramata 20th-century Malian women singers Malian women singer-songwriters 1976 births 2009 deaths People from Sikasso Region 21st-century Malian women singers