Afel Bocoum: The Return of the Messenger

Legendary Songhai guitarist Afel Bocoum hails from the town of Niafunké in the Timbuktu region of Mali, where the Niger River meets the Sahara. An apprentice and colleague to the late, great desert blues pioneer Ali Farka Touré for over thirty years, Afel has taken on the mantel as the guardian of Ali’s purest musical soul. It’s a music deeply rooted in Songhai traditions, translated from the molo lute to the guitar while building in influences from the music of the Tuareg from the north and the Fulbe from the east and west, as well as the long shadow of bluesman John Lee Hooker.

After becoming a member of Ali’s band ASCO at the age of just 13 in 1968 – a membership he’d keep until Ali’s death in 2006 – he created his own band Alkibar in the 1980s and forged ahead with his solo career, spanning five successful albums and making long-term creative partnerships with Damon Albarn, Africa Express and Béla Fleck. Now, as one of the Sahel’s most beloved artists and a champion for endangered instruments like the njurkel lute and njarka fiddle, he prepares a new album, Harber, coming soon.

He joins the World’s Music at Oxford as part of a rare 13-date UK tour with a new trio. Accompanied by his own apprentice and rising star Ali Bounaly Traoré on guitar and renowned percussionist Mahalmadane Bountel Traoré on calabash, Afel strips his music down to its core – voice, strings, rhythm, the flow and memory of the Niger, the Sahara wind, and the musicians' shared Songhai heritage.

The World’s Music at Oxford are proud to present Afel Bocoum alongside tour promoters Mwldan and i4Africa.