Published
Video duration: 5 min
Mali: Amadou and Mariam, almost 50 years of love and music
Mali: Amadou and Mariam, almost 50 years of love and music
(France 2)
Singers Amadou and Mariam met in 1975 at the Institute for Young Blind People in Bamako, Mali. Married since 1980, they have enjoyed worldwide success.
In Bamako (Mali), a hymn to love, composed by the singers Amadou and Mariam, is taken up from generation to generation. A couple for almost 50 years, they are nicknamed “the blind couple of Bamako” and live in a working-class neighborhood of the Malian capital. Their story began in 1975, at the Institute for Young Blind People in Bamako. Together, they share their love of music. The institute orchestra, where the duo was born, still exists and brings together blind musicians.
A resounding success and three children
The couple was decisive for blind people who are often discriminated against in Africa. Amadou and Mariam also fought to have their relationship accepted. Married in 1980, they enjoyed success and had three children, including a musician. “There is no Mariam without Amadou, there is no Amadou without Mariam, that’s what gives the beauty of their style of music”explains Sam Bagayoko, musician, son of Amadou and Mariam.
