Mamadou Kanté / Mamadou Kante

Mamadou Konté was a tireless champion of African music and culture. The founder and director of the influential Africa Fête festival, he was instrumental in launching the careers of Salif Keita, Angélique Kidjo, Baaba Maal, and others. Born and raised in Senegal, Konté relocated to Paris in 1965. During the landmark student revolts of May 1968, he embraced communism and fought for the rights of immigrant workers, immersing himself in labor causes in the years to follow. Konté organized the first Africa Fête concert in 1978 to generate funding for labor rights groups. The event attracted over 10,000 people and proved a turning point in introducing the native music of Africa to the western world. Its success also brought Konté to the attention of artists including Manu Dibango, Touré Kunda, and Xalam, who variously recruited him to serve as producer, manager, and agent. He also organized Youssou N'Dour's first European tour, and eventually launched the Africa Fête label. Along the way Konté received a Chevalier des Arts and Lettres from the French government in 1992, and with Island Records founder Chris Blackwell mounted a series of Africa Fête events in the U.S. After returning to Senegal in 1994, Konté established the Tringa cultural center and relocated Africa Fête to Dakar, where is it held in conjunction with the annual World AIDS Day. He died in Dakar on June 20, 2007, at the age of 62.