Djeli Fodé Kouyaté is a nephew of
Mory Kanté.
Son of
Mama Kanté and
Djelyden Kabinet Kouyaté, he is born a griot. He is not to be confused
with singer and kora player, the late
Fodé Kouyaté from Mali.
Le djeli de Kissifaramaya, as he is called, is known for his songs addressing popular issues
of Guinean life. Apart from music, he has been active defending the cause of the refugee camps in the South-East of Guinea,
where 100,000s refugees from neighbouring Sierra Leone lived under precarious conditions. His conscience
awakening lyrics and constant production of albums lead to his nomination of honorary ambassador of
Afrique-Aide-Afrique by the Senegalese president
Abdoulaye Wade.
In Guinea, he is seen as one of the biggest contemporary singers. Until now, he was hardly known outside of
Guinea, but this changed soon. For example, he was one of the showcases of the
Nuits d'Afrique Festival in
Montréal, Canada in July 2002. In addition, the album
« Adame Nyingui » was released on CD,
and in 2000, an album
« First », compiling older songs, became available on CD.