Mamadou Diabaté's Percussion Mania

Mamadou Diabate was born into a traditional musician family (Sambla people) in Burkina Faso (West Africa), with a long tradition of practising the profession of story telling and music making. His father Penegue Diabate was, in his days, considered the best balafon player beyond the borders of Sambla-culture. In 1988 and 1998 Mamadou won the first prize of the "National Culture Week" of Burkina Faso. He currently lives in Austria. With his group Percussion Mania he won the Austrian World Music Award (2011) and the Grand Prix of the "Triangle du Balafon" Competition in Mali (2012). For his virtuosity, he was there also honored with the "Prix Alkaly Camara de la virtuosité". He has released 11 CDs with his own compositions (SABABU MAN DOGO - 2001, KENEYA - 2002, SIRA FILA - 2003, FOLIKELAW - 2005, KAMALENYA - 2008, YALA - 2010, FENBA - 2010, KANUYA - 2011, MUTUA - 2012, MASABA KAN - 2014, BAROKAN - 2015, DOUBA FOLI: NOIR ET BLANC - 2016) and 2 others with authentic music of the Sambla and Tusia peoples (TUSIA FADENYA: The Art of Daouda Diabate - 2009, SAMBLA FADENYA: The Art of Sadama Diabate - 2009). In Burkina Faso, he had built a primary school where poor children are taught free of charge.