IF there is any word to describe Malian music legend, Salif Keita, at the Stanbic Jazz Festival last Saturday, March 2, at the Fantasy Dome, it will be ‘spectacular’. Was it because he brought his 40-year career to an end?

Dressed in a black ensemble, Salif Keita mounted the stage at 10pm after Cameroonian Grammy award-winning artiste, Richard Bona, had thrilled the crowd to tunes like Konda Djanea, Sweet Mary, Messanga and Laka Mba.

With his two female backup singers, Salif Keita wasted no time in giving the audience the best of his songs. Performing songs like M’Bemba, Kuma, Lony, Tekere, Folon among others, he engaged the audience with his dance moves and invited them to join in.

Not satisfied with how the crowd was enjoying his songs, Salif Keita went on his knees telling the patrons they could not sit when African music is played.

Salif Keita’s backing vocalists
“When African music is played we dance, we don’t sit so please get up and dance,” he challenged his audience.

Salif had his real moment when he played his last song Africa before leaving the stage. The crowd went wild, danced and sang along with him with others joining him on stage.

One significant aspect of the performance was the enthusiasm of his team of instrumentalists who took turns to treat their audience to their skills; from the percussionist to the guitarist, drummer and the special twinkling string, the ngoni harp.

Source Graphic Showbiz