Cucu Diamantes is a Grammy nominated Cuban-American singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist. Her 2009 solo debut Cuculand received a Latin Grammy Nomination for Best Alternative Song, "Mas Fuerte." Diamantes is also cofounder and lead singer of Grammy nominated New York City fusion band Yerba Buena.
The young men and women are from Kidal in Mali and visited the school in Tinzaouweten. Their childhood and youth is shaped by the Tuareg riots that evolved into a civil war between 1990 and 1995. Many of their friends and family were killed during that time.
Tamikrest decided to play with guitars instead of Kalashnikows. Their goal was to improve their lives by letting the world know about their desperate situation through their music.
The lyrics deal with the situation of the Tuaregs, about a youth without future, the loss of their culture — but also about love: the love of life and the love for the vast expanse of their home the Sahara.
Ali and Toumani is a 2010 record by Malian musicians Ali Farka Touré on the guitar and providing vocals and Toumani Diabaté on the kora.
The album was recorded in the "Toit de Bamako" conference room on the top floor of the Hotel Mandé overlooking the Niger River in Bamako, Mali.
It is the first in a three-part series released on World Circuit Records entitled "The Hotel Mandé Sessions" followed by "Savane" and "Boulevard de l'Independence".
