Yacouba Moumouni is a

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. As the leader of the

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band Mamar Kassey, he is one of the best-known Nigerien musicians outside Niger. He is from the Songhai ethnic group. Born in 1966 in a small sahel town some from Niamey, Moumouni herded cattle with his family until his father died when he was 10. Falling out with his brother, he ran away to the capital, where he lived on the street for two years until his talent attracted the attention of a music teacher, and he was taken on as an apprentice. Mastering the traditional flute, he joined the Ballet National of Niger and then formed Mamar Kassey, an eight-man group featuring Moumouni and guitarist Abdallah Alhassane. Together they have toured West Africa, Europe, and the United States, and have become the most popular musical group in Niger.

References

BBC: Mamar Kassey Alatoumi
Reviewed by Peter Marsh. 20 November 2002.
Afropop Worldwide: Mamar Kassey Alatoumi
Reviewed by Banning Eyre, 2001.

Dan Maley, Macon Telegraph (Georgia, USA),2004-09-03, p. 3. 20th-century Nigerien male singers Living people Nigerien flautists Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Nigerien male singers 20th-century flautists 21st-century flautists {{Africa-musician-stub

See also

References