Barthélémy Attisso (1945 – 29 August 2021) was a

Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...

lese

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and self-taught

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

ist, most famous for his work with

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

-based Pan-

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

n band Orchestra Baobab.

Biography

Attisso, born in 1945, moved to

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

in 1966 to study law at the University of Dakar. He took up guitar to earn money, playing in the club scene and joining the Star Band. In the early 1970s he joined Orchestra Baobab, and rode the band's success into the 1980s. When the band disbanded in 1987, Attisso returned to Togo to practice law. He did not play the guitar until the 2001 reunion, and went on to record and tour with Orchestra Baobab, although he also maintained his practice in

Lomé Lomé ( , ) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Togo, largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437

. Attisso died from COVID-19 in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Togo, at the age of 76.

References

1945 births 2021 deaths Togolese musicians Cheikh Anta Diop University alumni Togolese lawyers 21st-century Togolese people 20th-century Togolese people Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Togo {{guitarist-stub