Sahel Roots
Originally from Bamako but with its roots more in the Sahel area and in the desert, Sahel Roots is a young band of two musicians that has only been around since 2019, but is already . The music of Alassane Samaké, singer and percussionist of the calabash, and Adama Sidibé, whose instruments are the soukou (one string violin) and the djourou kelen (one string lute), bridges the gap between traditional and contemporary Africa. Their songs are about daily life in Mali and in Africa in general: taxes, colonialism, bush fires, poverty and more.
Alassane Samaké worked with Sidi Touré and Boubacar Traoré “Karkar” with whom he travelled the world. Adama Sidibé started playing with his grandfather at an early age. For a long time he has been working with the Peulh singer Mamou Sidibé and Petit Guru, a Dogon musician. He also participated in Tiken Jah Fakoly’s album, “Le monde est chaud”.
Alassane Samaké : vocals, calabash
Adama Sidibé: sokou, djourou kelen
Mande
Mandé is an acoustic trio that draws on the living memory of the griots to bring to life a repertoire passed down orally through the centuries. They are a breath of fresh air from the heart of West Africa. Deep voices, ethereal strings, organic rhythms… for an authentic and vibrant musical experience. Through acoustic instrumentation and refined vocal work, the group celebrates a living heritage and weaves a link between yesterday and today, between legacy and creation. A musical journey between roots and dreams, where each note tells the story of a people.
Singer Fanta Sayon Sissoko grew up in a renowned griot family in Mali. Losso Keita embodies the Bwaba tradition from Burkina Faso, deeply connected to nature. Oumar Barou Kouyaté, master of the djeli ngoni and nephew of Bassekou Kouyaté, also personifies the centuries-old Sahel blues.
Fanta Sayon Sissoko : vocals
Losso Keïta : vocals
Barou Kouyaté : djeli ngoni
A concert at The Faculty
The Faculty is no ordinary concert venue. This Flemish Neo-Renaissance building, constructed in 1892 to house Cureghem’s great veterinary school, has lived through over a century of history before being carefully restored. The original parquet floors, the mouldings, the mosaic tiles, all preserved. Tonight, music fills the former proclamation hall, on the building’s magnificent upper floor. A venue just outside the city centre, and well worth the journey.
How to get here
Located near Brussels-Midi station and the inner and outer ring roads, The Faculty is easily accessible by public transport and by car.
Metro: Lines 2 and 6, Clemenceau or Gare du Midi stop
On foot: 12 minutes from Gare du Midi or Clemenceau stop
Bus: Lines 73 and 78, Vétérinaires stop – Line 48, Eloy stop
Villo!: Station nearby
By car: Rue des Vétérinaires 47, 1070 Anderlecht – street parking or Park & Ride at Gare du Midi