Sufi Sounds, Burkina Faso

 

Recordings of Madou, Islamic chanting in Mooré (the language of the Mossi of Burkina Faso), are rare.  The only commercial recordings I have found are cassettes of the great Hadj Hamado Kanazoe--and even his 15 studio releases are long out of circulation.  Today, the best way to hear Madou recordings in Ouagadougou is to listen to Radio Iqra 96.1 FM, one of the city's four Islamic radio stations.  

Adamé Ouedraogo, one of Radio Iqra's founders, often hosts live Madou sessions.  Known to his listeners as Kersamba, the 'master' in Mooré, Ouedraogo is one of Ouagadougou's most popular Koranic teachers.  Kersamba's theological aphorisms are distilled from his study of the Koran, the Hadith, and West African Sufi philosophy. 

Both of these Madou sessions were broadcast on Radio Iqra.  The first features Sana Salif and Abdoullah in an hour long recitation, that is less driving, more meditative, than the recordings of Hadj Hamado Kanazoé.  The second recording is a Madou session hosted by Kersamba.  He is accompanied by Cheikh Salé Sana, Cheikh Abdallah Zomodo, and Cheikh Ismael Siniaré. 

Download Madou Burkina Faso 

I hope you can find the time to listen these recordings, these are some of the most soothing I've heard.  To whet your appetite start with this intimate video of Hadj Hamado Kanazoé.    

  

Enjoy!!