Interview by Robert Ambrose

Lithe and lovely, Rokia Traoré steps in front of the mike with guitar in hand. Mamah Diabaté stands behind her with his ngoni. The lobby of the Quebec Hilton has been turned into a broadcast studio to feature coverage of the Old City's 1999 Summer Festival, and it's Rokia's turn to perform a song on Canadian national radio. After listening to a short, polite introduction and answering a few questions about herself, Rokia launches into an exquisite, spare performance of her song "Wanita", a song that will be the title track on an album to be released a year later. The djs are captivated, people walking by stop dead in their tracks, and when Rokia finishes she is applauded by a room full of new fans...

On the final evening of a grueling two-month tour, Habib Koite can still muster his brilliant trademark smile. As he opens his last performance of the "Voices of Mali" tour in Boston, Habib tells the audience "the voice needs sleep", but he and his band Bamada sound just fine to a packed house at the Somerville Theater...