Druga Godba 2026 & Music of the World Season Series: Guitari Baro

Lassana Diabaté (balafon) / Gaoussou Kouyaté (acoustic guitar) / Kerfala Diabaté (acoustic and electric guitar)

When the album Kankan Blues, released in 1987 and created by the extraordinary Guinean guitarist Kanté Manfila and balafonist Balla Kalla, reached us, we could never have imagined hearing anything as breathtakingly beautiful from the Mandinka musical tradition again. Yet, nearly forty years later, it has happened.

The idea for a new trio — featuring two guitarists from Guinea and Mali — came from perhaps the world’s most renowned balafonist, Lassana Diabaté (Toumani Diabaté Symmetric Orchestra, Afrocubism, Kronos Quartet, Trio de Kali). The project caught the attention of journalist and producer Lucy Duran and long-time Youssou N’Dour manager Dudu Sarr, director of Dakar Music Expo. Joining the recording in Dakar were Gaoussou Kouyaté, a protégé of Djelimady Tounkaro (a former potential member of the Buena Vista Social Club who performed at Druga godba), and Kerfala Diabaté, solo guitarist for singer Sekoube Bambino.

The music on last year’s album is a stunning homage to the Mandinka griot tradition, yet it innovatively flirts with Congolese rumba, jazz, Guinean dance rhythms, and even elements of rock’n’roll. It celebrates pan-African creativity, highlighting the richness and diversity of West African music while showcasing Africa’s driving role in global soundscapes.

But words alone cannot convey the true magic of a live performance. While Guitari Baro — “the conversation of the guitarists” — is rooted in dialogue, the presence of the balafon brings an unmistakably African colour to every note. The virtuosity of each musician, and their combined interplay, turns listening into an almost overwhelming delight. After experiencing a Guitari Baro concert, one might feel: even if I never attend another concert or hear new music again, I am content and at peace, enriched for a lifetime.



Co-produced by Druga Godba and Cankarjev dom.