AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman.

In Mali, thousands of mourners gathered in Bamako Sunday for the funeral of Amadou Bagayoko, half of the world-renowned duo Amadou & Mariam. Bagayoko died on Friday at the age of 70.

I interviewed the blind husband-and-wife music team in our Democracy Now! studio in 2018.

AMY GOODMAN: The husband-and-wife duo have been performing together for nearly 40 years. The band’s story begins at the Bamako Institute for the Young Blind in Mali. That’s where the two met in 1975. Amadou Bagayoko was blinded by cataracts as a teenager. Mariam Doumbia has been blind since she was 5 when she had the measles. They fell in love, married and began performing around Bamako, the capital of Mali. They became known around Africa as “the blind couple of Mali.”

In 2004, they released a landmark album, Dimanche à Bamako — that means Sunday in Bamako — produced by the world music icon Manu Chao, bringing their new music to vast new audiences around the world. The album earned them their first of three Grammy nominations.

In 2009, they performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway, when President Obama won the Nobel. A year later, Amadou & Mariam performed on one of the biggest stages in the world, the kickoff celebration for the World Cup in South Africa. Then, in 2011, they became ambassadors for the World Food Programme.

In 2013, they joined with over 40 other Malian artists as Voices United for Mali to record a song called “Mali-ko (Peace / La Paix).” The effort was organized by Fatoumata Diawara after militants seized northern Mali. We had the Malian musician Fatoumata in our studios not long ago.

The British musician Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz has said about Amadou & Mariam, “I don’t think there’s ever been a band from Africa with whom people have engaged in quite such a way.”

Well, Amadou & Mariam are now touring in the United States to promote their ninth record, La Confusion, The Confusion. And we are privileged to be joined by them in Democracy Now!’s studios.

Amadou and Mariam, welcome to Democracy Now!

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: Thank you. Merci beaucoup.

MARIAM DOUMBIA: Thank you.

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: Nice to be here. Thank you.

AMY GOODMAN: It’s wonderful to finally have you here in our studios. Amadou, let’s begin with you. How did you become a musician? When did you first pick up an instrument and think this is what you wanted to do with your life?

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] I picked up an instrument for the first time when I was 2. It was a percussion instrument, the djembe. And at the age of 10, I played the harmonica, the flute.

AMY GOODMAN: At the age of 2?

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] Yes, when I was 2.

AMY GOODMAN: Now, at that time, you had sight, right? You were able to see.

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] Yes, I could see a little bit. At that time, I could see.

AMY GOODMAN: Sadly, you lost your vision because of bad medical care.

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] Yes, because medicine was not well developed, so that’s why.

AMY GOODMAN: But your music soared. Talk about playing music until you were a teenager, and then your meeting with Mariam.

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] Indeed, when I started to play, I was playing in my neighborhood. I was playing at home. And then I was in a group. I was a singer there. I did a lot of different things in Bamaka, in Koutiala, in other cities with this group called the Ambassadeurs. And then, as you said, in ’75 I met Mariam. We gave
each other our hands. I was playing guitar. Our first concert was in 1976.

AMY GOODMAN: You were influenced by Jimi Hendrix?

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] Yes, Jimi Hendrix, a lot, and a lot of other guitarists — Pink Floyd, David Gilmour. But it was Jimi Hendrix who really gave me a taste for the guitar.

AMY GOODMAN: And the effect of Salif Keita on your — he was one of the Ambassadeurs.

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] Yes, he was one of the Ambassadeurs. He was — in that region of Mali, if there was a professional group, it was the Ambassadeurs. We played pop, but there were a lot of singers who were doing soul music, other singers who were singing Cuban music. But the Ambassadeurs were really a school for me.

AMY GOODMAN: Mariam, talk about how you got involved with music and how you came to the Bamako Institute for the Young Blind, where you would meet Amadou.

MARIAM DOUMBIA: [translated] I liked music a great deal. I was always near my father’s radio, which was in Mali. Neighbors would call me when there were things on the radio. They would come and get me. And I would teach students to dance and sing. Before Amadou went to the institute, I was writing songs. When we met there at the institute, we gave each other our hand, and we worked together.

AMY GOODMAN: You lost your vision long before Amadou did, at the age of 5, as a result of measles?

MARIAM DOUMBIA: [translated] Yes, I lost my sight when I was 5 because of measles.

AMY GOODMAN: Would you say losing your vision helped you find your voice?

MARIAM DOUMBIA: [translated] Yes, it was a good thing for me, because I met Amadou. I went to the Institute for the Young Blind, and that also helped me. It gives you courage to work harder. It gives you a lot of concentration when you don’t see.

AMY GOODMAN: You released a number of audio cassettes, but your first big album had the song “Je Pense à Toi.” Talk about this. It’s what you performed in our studio.

MARIAM DOUMBIA: [translated] Yes, we released a lot of cassettes before we brought out the album. When we were first starting out, there were no official producers, so there were markets for cassettes. So the first album we did was Je Pense à Toi. It was a love song.

AMY GOODMAN: Tell us about this love song, “Je Pense à Toi.” Tell us the words.

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] “Je pense à toi” means “I’m thinking about you,” my beloved, my love, my dear. When I’m in my bed, I dream about you. When I wake up, I think about you. If I don’t see you, I can’t do anything, I can’t say anything, I don’t have a voice, my love, my dear. Some promised you the Earth. Some promised you the sky. But me, I have nothing but my poor guitar. I think about you, my beloved. I don’t give up, my dear.

AMADOU & MARIAM: [performing “Je Pense à Toi”]

Je pense à toi, mon amour, ma bien aimée
Ne m’abandonnes pas, mon amour, ma chérie
Je pense à toi, mon amour, ma bien aimée
Ne m’abandonnes pas, mon amour, ma chérie

Quand je suis dans mon lit
Je ne rêve qu’à toi
Et quand je me réveille
Je ne pense qu’à toi

Quand je suis dans mon lit
Je ne rêve qu’à toi
Et quand je me réveille
Je ne pense qu’à toi

Je pense à toi, mon amour, ma bien aimée
Ne m’abandonnes pas, mon amour, ma chérie
Je pense à toi, mon amour, ma bien aimée
Ne m’abandonnes pas, mon amour, ma chérie

Si je ne te vois pas, je ne peux rien dire
Je ne peux rien faire, je ne peux rien voir
Je ne veux rien savoir, mon amour, ma chérie

Si je ne te vois pas, je ne peux rien dire
Je ne peux rien faire, je ne peux rien voir
Je ne veux rien savoir, mon amour, ma chérie

Je pense à toi, mon amour, ma bien aimée
Ne m’abandonnes pas, mon amour, ma chérie
Je pense à toi, mon amour, ma bien aimée
Ne m’abandonnes pas, mon amour, ma chérie

Certains t’ont promis la Terre
D’autres promettent le Ciel
Y’en a qui t’ont promis la Lune
Et moi je n’ai rien que ma pauvre guitare

Je pense à toi, mon amour, ma bien aimée
Ne m’abandonnes pas, mon amour, ma chérie
Je pense à toi, mon amour, ma bien aimée
Ne m’abandonnes pas, mon amour, ma chérie

Je pense à toi, mon amour, ma bien aimée
Ne m’abandonnes pas, mon amour, ma chérie
Je pense à toi, mon amour, ma bien aimée
Ne m’abandonnes pas, mon amour, ma chérie.

MARIAM DOUMBIA: Yeah. Thank you.

AMY GOODMAN: In 2004, the blockbuster album with Manu Chao came out, Dimanche à Bamako, Sunday in Bamako. Talk about what it meant to work with Manu Chao, the world-famous record producer and musician, Amadou.

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] Manu Chao heard our music, and he liked our music. He wrote us a note saying he liked our music, and so we tried to meet him. We went into the studio. We tried out different things, and it worked well. So we agreed to make an album together, Dimanche in Bamako. And then we came to France.

AMY GOODMAN: Let’s go to a recording of Manu Chao together with Amadou & Mariam.

AMADOU & MARIAM AND MANU CHAO: [performing “Sénégal Fast Food”]

C’est au Mahattan fast-food Dakar, Sénégal, cinéma le Paris
Demain je serais parti,
La gare Dakar, Bamako Mopti
Y’a pas de problèmes? Tout va bien
Aujourd’hui je me marie, j’ai confiance
Amoul solo, Gao, l’Algérie, Tunisie, Italie
Il n’y a pas de problèmes, j’aime!
Au Manhattan fast-food Dakar, Sénégal, cinéma le Paris
Ascenseur pour le ghetto

Il est minuit à Tokyo
Il est cinq heures au Mali
Quelle heure est-il au Paradis?
Il est minuit à Tokyo
Il est cinq heures au Mali
Quelle heure est-il au Paradis?

[chorus in Bambara] Nous qui quittons nos pays
Il ne faut pas que les enfants du pays nous oublient
Nous qui sommes dans cette chose
Chose là aucun de nous ne saurait la nommer
Nous qui sommes dans des pays lointains
Il ne faut pas que les enfants du pays nous oublient

C’est au Manhattan fast-food, Dakar, Sénégal
La grand-mère à l’hôpital Dantec
Tout va bien Cairek, moi ici, toi là-bas
Le visa au consulat numéro 39, j’attends, j’attends
A l’état civil déjà l’an 2000, déjà 2000 ans
Au Manhattan fast-food, Dakar, Sénégal, cinéma le Paris, cinéma le Paris

Il est minuit à Tokyo
Il est cinq heures au Mali
Quelle heure est-il au Paradis?
Il est minuit à Tokyo
Il est cinq heures au Mali
Quelle heure est-il au Paradis?

Dakar, Bamako, Rio de Janeiro
Où est le problème? Où est la frontière?
Entre les murs se faufiler dans l’ascenseur, ascenseur pour le ghetto
Au Manhattan fast-food, Dakar, Sénégal, cinéma le Paris, cinéma le Paris

[chorus in Bambara] Nous qui quittons nos pays
Il ne faut pas que les enfants du pays nous oublient
Nous qui sommes dans cette chose
Chose là aucun de nous ne saurait la nommer
Nous qui sommes dans des pays lointains
Il ne faut pas que les enfants du pays nous oublient

Nous qui quittons nos pays
Il ne faut pas que les enfants du pays nous oublient
Nous qui sommes dans cette chose
Chose là aucun de nous ne saurait la nommer
Nous qui sommes dans des pays lointains
Il ne faut pas que les enfants du pays nous oublient

Il est minuit à Tokyo
Il est cinq heures au Mali
Quelle heure est-il au Paradis?
Il est minuit à Tokyo
Il est cinq heures au Mali
Quelle heure est-il au Paradis?

Cinéma le Paris, cinéma le Paris
Cinéma le Paris, cinéma le Paris
Cinéma le Paris, cinéma le Paris.

AMY GOODMAN: That music video, the song is called “Sénégal Fast Food.” Explain why it is called that.

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] Indeed, “Sénégal Fast Food,” Manu Chao had the idea. I think it’s really based on the idea of immigration, people who go to the embassy, who wait there and who are tempted to travel, and they’re given fast food. So, but we also said that we’re all in the same boat, so let’s think about each other. People in big cities should think about those in villages. Those in villages should think about those who are on the other side, because we’re all on a single ship together, and we don’t know exactly where we’re headed.

AMY GOODMAN: You have come to a country that now has a president that is very critical of immigrants. And, Mariam, I was wondering about your thoughts about President Trump.

MARIAM DOUMBIA: [translated] I don’t know much about politics. I just want things to be good. That’s all. I want people to be comfortable, to be peaceful, to have peace around the world. Right now there’s so much confusion. That’s why we sing the song “Confusion.” There’s problems everywhere. I want people to be in peace.

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] We think that actually the world needs to change. We need to be able to move and to travel, to go from one place to another. But it needs to be done following regulations, of course. That’s important, that we need to know where we’re going. We also need to be able to bring our own contribution to the edifice of the place where we’re going. But we also need to know our rights. I think the world works that way. One person goes towards the other, and vice versa. That’s the beauty of the world.

AMY GOODMAN: President Trump referred to Africa as a “S—hole country.” I was wondering what you think President Trump needs to understand about Africa, besides the fact it’s a continent, not a country.

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] Indeed, it’s a continent, not a country. I think he needs to understand how Africa works. Africa has a great deal of diversity. There are people from all over the place, south, north. There’s Anglophone Africa. There’s Francophone Africa. There’s many types of different development in different parts of Africa. We’re lacking technical advancements, but I think people in Africa are intelligent. We need to understand each other and to see how we can better function. I think that’s the most important thing. I think that Trump also needs to go to Africa to see what’s happening there.

AMY GOODMAN: And Mariam?

MARIAM DOUMBIA: [translated] That’s it. He needs to go to Africa to understand what’s happening there. That’s all.

AMY GOODMAN: Well, you’ve certainly come here to educate us with your music. In 2008, you were nominated for a Grammy. And while you may not have been invited to the White House by President Trump, you were invited to Oslo, Norway, in 2009 to perform when the first African American president, Barack Obama, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Mariam, describe that experience.

MARIAM DOUMBIA: [translated] We were invited. We went to Oslo. There were many artists there, like Donna Summer. We were very, very happy to be with President Barack Obama. He came to us. He greeted us. He told us that he knew Mali. We were very happy to play there, to play with so many different artists. It was a beautiful experience.

AMY GOODMAN: What did you perform?

MARIAM DOUMBIA: [translated] We played our music, Amadou & Mariam blues and rock. And we sang in the language of Mali, Bambara. So, that’s what we sang over there.

AMY GOODMAN: President Obama, of course, his father came from Kenya. Amadou & Mariam, your new album, the album you’re touring the United States with right now, La Confusion, The Confusion. You sing about women, women of the world, femmes du monde. Mariam, introduce us to the song, before we play your performance here.

MARIAM DOUMBIA: [translated] Amadou wrote that song. It’s a tribute to women. Back in the day, women were not well considered in Mali. Today, they’re better considered. They do many things. They work in offices. They’re ministers in the government. There are women deputies. Women are much happier now in Mali. So we wanted to sing a tribute to women. That’s all.

AMY GOODMAN: And how does this song talk about your experience as a musician, Mariam?

MARIAM DOUMBIA: [translated] It’s a good thing for me as a musician. Amadou is the singer, but it’s good for him to encourage women. I think that’s a good idea. I’m very happy to hear that song. Like, I think every woman in Mali and every woman in Africa, it’s a good thing.

AMY GOODMAN: Amadou, if you can share the words of the
song?

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] So, the words of the song, “Women of the world, women of the world, women of Mali, women of Africa, women of the world, I salute you. I salute you every day. From the sunrise to the sunset, women are there. They move in every direction to make life beautiful. So, when you go down a path, you’re going to see a woman. When you go into a factory, into an office, into a market, it’s the women who are taking care of children’s education, of children’s health also. It’s a tribute, truly, that is given to women, from the morning to the night. They’re the first to get up and the last to go to bed.”

AMY GOODMAN: This is “Femmes du Monde,” performed by Amadou & Mariam.

AMADOU & MARIAM: [performing “Femmes du Monde”]

Femmes du Mali
La femme africaine
Femmes du monde, je vous salue tous les jours
Femmes du Mali
La femme africaine
Les femmes du monde, je vous salue tous les jours

Depuis le lever du Soleil
Si tard dans la nuit
Vous bougez dans tous les sens
Vous travaillez sans relâche
Si vous allez dans les sentiers
Vous allez voir des femmes
Si vous allez dans les usines
Vous allez voir des femmes
Si vous allez dans les bureaux
Vous allez voir des femmes
Vous bougez dans tous les sens
Vous travaillez sans relâche

Femmes du Mali
La femme africaine
Les femmes du monde, je vous salue tous les jours
Femmes du Mali
La femme africaine
Les femmes du monde, je vous salue tous les jours

Si vous allez dans les villages
Vous allez voir des femmes
Si vous allez dans les champs
Vous allez voir des femmes
Si vous allez dans les marchés
Vous allez voir des femmes
L’éducation des enfants
On a besoin des femmes
Pour la santé des enfants
On a besoin des femmes
Vous bougez dans tous les sens
Vous travaillez sans relâche

Femmes du Mali
La femme africaine
Les femmes du monde, je vous salue tous les jours
Femmes du Mali
La femme africaine
Les femmes du monde, je vous salue tous les jours
Je vous salue tous les jours
Je vous salue tous les jours
Je vous salue tous les jours
Je vous salue tous les jours.

AMY GOODMAN: That’s “Femmes du Monde,” “The Women of the World,” performed by Amadou & Mariam right here in our Democracy Now! studios. It’s from their latest album that they’re touring the United States with, called La Confusion, The Confusion. And you perform another song on this album, “Bofou Safou.” It’s the first song. Tell us about it, Amadou.

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] “Bofou Safou” means to be born for nothing and to die for nothing. So we say that you mustn’t do that. You must always try to work. You must always try to make yourself useful for society, to have a lot of courage, because in society we need people to work. We need people to help others, because that’s what makes the world move forward. We don’t like people who are just there doing nothing, who have their arms folded. We don’t like that. We want people to be motivated to develop this world, so that they leave a mark on the world.

AMY GOODMAN: Let’s go to “Bofou Safou.”

AMADOU & MARIAM: [performing “Bofou Safou”]

Bofou safou Kanaké bofou safouyé (dienkono)
Bofou safou Akanaké Bofou safouyé (dienkono)
Bofou safou Akanaké Bofou safouyé (n’teri)
Niwolola Nimanaraké Bofou safouyiyé
Niyalala nitogo mafo (bofou safou)
Nimafègnè i fa ni baye (bofou safou)
Nimafègnè ibalimanouyé (bofou safou)
Nimafègnè iwolodéougnè (bofou safou)
Nimafègnè sigignogogné (bofou safou)

Bofou safou nimaké bofou safouyè
Bofou safou anaké bofou safouyè (n’teri)
Nimafègnè djamanakono (bofou safou)
Nimafègnè iba flanhouyè (bofou safou)
Nimafègnè ifa flanhouyè (bofou safou)
Ika wari mata allah kola (bofou safou)
Eka wari mata allah kola (bofou safou)
Bofou safou nèmakè bofou safouyè
Bofou safou Akanaké Bofou safouyé (n’teri)

Eh eh eh
Bofou safouya magni dè
Il faut travailler dans la vie
Il faut pas croiser les bras dans la vie
Il faut te rendre utile dans la vie
Bofou safouya magni dè

Bofou safou nimaké bofou safouyè
Bofou safou némaké bofou safouyè (abada)
Bofou safou Akanaké Bofou safouyé (dienkono)
Bofou safou Akanaké Bofou safouyé (dienkono).

MARIAM DOUMBIA: Thank you.

AMY GOODMAN: That’s “Bofou Safou,” performed by Amadou & Mariam, here at Democracy Now! You performed with 40 other Malian musicians the song “Mali-ko (The Peace).” Amadou, if you can talk about what was happening at the time in Mali?

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] At the time of that song, there had been an invasion in the north of Mali. There had been a lot of problems. So, in Mali, we’re used to singing when there are problems, to make people aware of what’s going on. So we came together to sing with nearly all the major performers of Malian music. We got together to make this song. And outside of that, each of us composed pieces that talk about the war. We composed one ourselves. We said, “We want peace. Mali wants peace.” So, we sang as a group and also individually. And that song can still be heard on the radio, on television. It was to make people aware and to stop the war, to stop the rebellion, and to just have the country speak with one voice.

VOICES UNITED FOR MALI: [performing “Mali-ko”]

MAMADOU DIABATÉ: [translated] “Maliba,” as our ancestors always called you,
Don’t stay on your knees,
Rise up and fight for the honor of those ancestors.

MARIAM DOUMBIA: [translated] When we stand together, Africa is stronger.
When we stand united, we have a future!

AHMED AG KAEDI: [translated] Mali, our great country,
Which has always been a land of peace and hospitality,
Let us unite.

OUMOU SANGARÉ: [translated] We must take care, that we don’t lose our country.
Take care, or our children will hang their heads in shame.
I’m talking to you, military leaders! I’m talking to you, politicians!

HABIB KOITÉ: [translated] Malians, union makes us strong.
We cannot let our great country slip through our fingers.
Our land of great men!

DJENEBA SECK: [translated] Men and women of Mali,
The whole world is watching.
Unite to bring back stability and harmony.

VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ: [translated] Wake up!
We are all family.
Let’s stand together.

MYLMO: [translated] The world adored our country.
So why now are we tearing each other apart before their very eyes?
Soundjata Keita and our other heroes of lore taught us our values, Which shall remain steady.

AMADOU & MARIAM: [translated] Union makes us strong!
Let us stand together!

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] In harmony, our country can develop.
Nobody can destabilize us.
Our children will have a future.

NAHAWA DOUMBIA: [translated] We want peace,
Peace, peace in Africa!
Peace in the world!

AMY GOODMAN: That’s “Mali-ko,” and it was organized by Fatoumata Diawara, who was just recently in our studios here performing, as well. Can you talk about becoming an ambassador for the United Nations, Mariam? You are ambassadors for the World Food Programme. What message are you putting out to the world?

MARIAM DOUMBIA: [translated] We’re ambassadors for the World Food Programme for a long time now, Amadou and I. This is to make people aware of the problem. We’ve traveled a great deal for this.

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] We felt that we were quite popular, and since our songs always have messages, the World Food Programme chose us. And we also come from a country that has the curse of having lack of food. We were in a good position to talk about this. And we thought about Haiti. Whenever we travel, we try to send out a message to make people aware of undernourishment and hunger in the world. But we’re ambassadors for a lot of causes. We’re involved in a lot of humanitarian efforts.

AMY GOODMAN: In 2011, you performed “Eclipse.” You performed “Eclipse” in the dark. It was commissioned by the Manchester International Festival. Talk about why you wanted to perform, Amadou, in the dark.

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] Why? Because we wanted to share that moment with others, because people think that when you don’t see — they don’t understand what that’s like. We wanted to have them be in darkness, so that they could understand what it’s like with the music. You can imagine things in the dark. You can have your own ideas. And this allowed other people to understand how blind people feel. And that’s why we put this project into place, to listen to music without seeing each other, but seeing inside your mind and seeing in your imagination.

AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about how being blind has impacted how you hear and perform music, Amadou?

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: [translated] It was initially — it’s something that you have to accept. You have to accept that you’re blind. Once you accept it, you gather your courage. You tell yourself you’re in a world where you need to work. And we loved music, so we told ourselves that we’re going to play music. And there wasn’t much that was going to distract us from that. We could truly devote ourselves to music. It allowed us to go really far. It allowed us to express ourselves. But there were a lot of people also who gave us courage. The audience encouraged us a great deal in Mali. Everybody was happy that blind people were able to play their music, to be famous. We also heard Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder. These are things that really motivated us to keep going, to go forward with our music.

AMY GOODMAN: I mean, early on, Mariam, you met Stevie Wonder, didn’t you, in, what, the 1980s? Can you talk about — well, respond to that same question about how blindness has affected your listening to and performing music, and also about being a woman performer and artist.

MARIAM DOUMBIA: [translated] The fact of being blind really encouraged us. It helped us to continue with music. When I met Amadou, since we were both blind, it encouraged us to keep going forward. We met Stevie Wonder. We were in a room chatting with him. He played music with us afterward. We shared a stage with him. The president of Ivory Coast, who was a woman, was there. Everyone was really happy. The room was packed. That helped us a lot. Being blind really helped us. It really helped us to gain courage and to work hard.

AMY GOODMAN: And your message to young women?

MARIAM DOUMBIA: [translated] My message is to be brave and to be patient. When you’re patient in life, you can have a lot of things. But when you’re not patient, you’re going to lose a lot. We found our courage. We were patient before we got here, before we got to France. Before we started going all over the world and having a lot of awards for our music, it encouraged us. So I tell women to be brave, to be courageous and to be patient.

AMY GOODMAN: Thank you so much to Amadou Bagayoko, Mariam Doumbia, of the Malian band Amadou & Mariam, now touring the United States to promote their ninth record, The Confusion, La Confusion.

MARIAM DOUMBIA: Thank you.

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: Merci bien.

MARIAM DOUMBIA: We are very, very happy here, to be here.

AMY GOODMAN: Well, thank you very much.

AMADOU BAGAYOKO: Thank you.

MARIAM DOUMBIA: Thank you. Thank you.

AMY GOODMAN: That was Amadou & Mariam in our Democracy Now! studio in 2018. Amadou Bagayoko died on Friday at the age of 70. Thousands turned out for his funeral in Bamako, Mali, on Sunday. I’m Amy Goodman. Thanks for joining us.