Oumou sangare biography template

Malian singer (born 1968)

Musical artist

Oumou Sangaré (Bambara: Umu Sangare; born 25 February 1968) is a Malian Wassoulou singer of Fulani (Fula) descent.^[1] She is often referred to as "The Songbird of Wassoulou".^[2]Wassoulou is a historical region south of the Niger River, where the music descends from age-old traditional song, often accompanied by a calabash.

Early life

Sangaré was born in 1968 to singer Aminata Diakité and Sidiki Sangaré, both of whom originated from the Wassoulou region.^[3][4][5] In 1970, her father took a second wife and moved to Abidjan, leaving Sangaré, her mother and her siblings behind in Bamako.^[4] She began singing in the streets to help her mother, leaving school at an early age to do so.^[3][4] Her career began in 1973 when, at the age of five, she won an inter-kindergarten singing competition in Bamako, going on to perform before an audience of