Rokia Traoré is one of the most extraordinary artists I have ever come across. The track I share here, Laidu (dear RSS subscribers, you’ll need to listen to this track on the tumblr itself), has accompanied me for the last couple of years. It is one of the most extraordinary things my ears have ever been blessed with, literally.

I’m heading to the Sines World Music Festival today - where she will perform tomorrow. To my absolute dismay, I have to leave the Festival just hours before her concert. I had been waiting for her concert for over a year. You see, a friend of mine organized our “final dinner” (since we’re finishing our uni studies) at precisely the same time… And “final dinners” are not something you can miss.

I might, meanwhile, have the joy of meeting Rokia Traoré today or tomorrow, since I have a friend who knows some of the organizers. It would be one of the highlights of my year.

Either way, I am sure my path will cross hers, sooner or later. You see, Rokia Traoré is from Mali - a country home to an abundant amount of hauntingly beautiful music (Ali Farka Touré, whose track “Ai Du” I shared with you a few days ago, is also from Mali). Because of this, it is my intention to go to Mali - and try to discover what it has that is able to produce one of the most divine of all created things: divine music.