The roots of Mandinka music run deep. Traceable back to at least the early 13th century, these sounds stem from the African Mandé Empire founded by Soudiata Keita, which transmitted its culture as it spread through the West of the continent. The descendants of this music are often artists by heredity, and they continue to innovate at its frontiers, using it to tell stories and to invoke positive change.

This playlist, for subscriber’s eyes only, provides a window into the beauty and complexity of modern Madinka culture. It includes documentaries that deep dive into the Malian musical landscape, showing how griot traditions bring communities together, and painting portraits of some of the country’s most treasured luminaries like Ali Farka Touré and Nahawa Doumbia as well as the great Salif Keïta and Oumou Sangare.

But Mandinka music is an oral tradition – it must be performed for its power to be heard. From masters like Cheick Tidiane Seck to artists experiencing an explosion of international interest, like Fatoumata Diawara, this is a set list that demands to be seen.

Notable amongst them is Toumani Diabaté, the kora maestro who took up the mantle from his father Sidiki Diabaté (the first artist to record a kora album in 1970) and is currently passing it on to his son, the popular kora player / rapper also called Sidiki Diabaté.

To listen is to feel the vibrancy of a radical, modern sound, one that vibrates with tradition, passed down from ancient places.