TVC E, NEWS – Mali paid tribute to the “genius” of Ali Farka Toure by naming a square in the capital after him.
This comes as the country marks the 10th anniversary of the death of one of Africa’s most renowned musicians.
Ali Farka Toure Square, complete with a statue of the two-time Grammy winner, was inaugurated in Bamako in a simple ceremony attended by family members, friends, representatives from the culture minister and a former prime minister.
The national museum also opened an exhibition of photographs from the life of the man known as the “African John Lee Hooker”. A tribute concert and football tournament was held at the weekend.
Vieux Farka Toure recalled that his father “had a special way of playing” which he himself adopted.
Recognised worldwide as one of the most important musicians in Africa, Toure was born in 1939 in Kanau in northern Mali. He died on March 7, 2006 at the age of 67 after a long battle with cancer.
Toure achieved fame in his lifetime with both his blues guitar work, singing and playing on traditional African instruments.
