Damon Albarn Honored As “Local King” In Mali

Damon Albarn Honored As “Local King” In Mali

In 2000, Damon Albarn traveled to Mali with Oxfam, and during his trip, he met and recorded music with a number of Malian musicians, which he eventually released in the 2002 album Mali Music. A few weeks ago, Albarn returned to Mali to perform at Toumani Diabaté’s three-day Festival Acoustik Bamako, and while he was there, he visited a music school in the Griot village of Kirina, where he was honored for his work helping Malian music. As the BBC reports, Albarn was given a new Malian name, Makandjan Kamissoko, and granted the status of “local king,” and a classroom in the school was named after him. Watch the dedication ceremony below.

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