Samba Touré, Martin Hayes & Kate Ellis, Minyo Crusaders, Hajda Banda and Suntou Susso & the Gambian Superstars join the 2026 line-up for Songlines Encounters
Oumou Sangaré contemplates the current state of her native Mali. She speaks to Andy Morgan about how music and mogoya may be the only things that can save it. Photography by Holly Whittaker
Simon Broughton visits Morgenland Festival in Germany for an opening concert celebrating 20 years of an event which has provided a vital showcase for many artists from the Middle East and North Africa
After announcing his retirement in 2018, Malian singer and musician Salif Keita has slowly returned to the spotlight following a series of shows last year. Now, he’s making the comeback official with an extraordinary new album
From their discovery in Bamako by Damon Albarn’s Africa Express in 2013 to the global release of their latest stripped-back album in 2025, Robin Denselow traces Songhoy Blues’ journey through exile, resistance and optimism
Jo Frost picks some choice albums that have been inspired by our feathered friends
Animated heroes meet African Queen on their follow-up to 'Momentary Bliss'
Oumou Sangaré releases a new video from her 2017 album Mogoya in aid of Mali's 58th Independence Day
Russ Slater Johnson speaks to Mariam about touring and promoting a new album without Amadou, and how she hopes to continue spreading their message of love and solidarity
Daniel Spicer reports on a new collaboration between the son of a Malian guitar legend and the hypnotic trio from Houston, a lilting fusion of desert blues, psychedelia and dub
The Malian singer and guitarist is the latest artist announced for Songlines Encounters Festival this May
In the centre of the Mediterranean, Malta sits between the European and Islamic worlds. That dual heritage is reflected in its Indigenous music, reports Simon Broughton, and it deserves to be better known
Three world music festival directors dive deep into sounds from Switzerland’s global and folk artists and tell Songlines who, given the chance, they would programme and why
London’s premier Latin music festival is back with an exciting array of rare and unique performances
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