CELEBRATED MALIAN MUSICIAN HAMA SANKARÉ DIES AFTER EXPLOSIVE DEVICE ATTACK

Alpha Ousmane “Hama” Sankaré (aka Pedro) was killed in the vehicle he was riding in when it was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED) land mine 30 minutes from Niafunke, on Sunday, March 29, 2020 at approximately 3:00 PM. There were 9 people in the vehicle.

This is a major tragedy not only for the music of Northern Mali but also for the country which continues to be plagued by insecurity. The explosion occurred on the national legislative Election Day and Hama had gone home to Niafunke to vote. He was on route back to Bamako when he was killed.

Hama Sankare had accompanied many great artists of Northern Mali. Most notable was his longtime close collaboration with Ali Farka Toure with whom he was best known for his ground breaking work as calabash percussionist and backing singer. Sankare can be heard on Toure’s albums: The Red Album, The Source, Talking Timbuktu, Niafunke and Savane.