BALLA KOUYATE

Currently a member of the Mamadou Diabate Ensemble, Balla Kouyate is a renowned balafon player from the jeli tradition in Mali.
He began to play the balafon at he age of six and did his first show in Bamako, Mali, at the Palais de la Culture with Malian singer Sanignai Kouyate.

In 1994 he was a member of the National Percussion of Mali. By 1997 he played with singer Ami Koita at the prestigious O.I.A. conference, which brings together almost 30 African leaders.