Hawa Kasse Mady Diabaté carries one of Mali’s great musical legacies forward. As the daughter of the legendary singer Kasse Mady Diabaté, she grew up surrounded by the songs, stories and traditions of the griot culture in Kela — one of the spiritual homes of Mandé music.
Her father passed away in 2018 while recording his seventh album. Years later, Hawa stepped in to complete it, recording her vocals in 2023. The album ‘Toumaro’ (“See You Soon”), posthumously produced by Ibrahim Kaba and released in 2025, quickly rose to the top of several radio charts. As Heaven Magazine wrote: it was up to Hawa to finish Toumaro — and she does so more than superbly, on one of the finest Malian records of recent years.
Hawa is also a member of the internationally acclaimed Trio Da Kali, whose award-winning album Bagola further cemented her place on the world stage. Her collaborators and band members are deeply rooted in the Mandé griot lineage — hereditary musical artisans and keepers of oral history.
On stage with the Toumaro Orchestra, Hawa shines as a praise singer, storyteller and poet. Her voice carries both power and nuance, drawing comparisons to icons like Salif Keita and Mahalia Jackson. With musical direction by Madou Kouyaté and a stellar ensemble of ngoni, balafon, guitar and percussion, the group blends deep tradition with fresh energy.
A Hawa Kasse Mady Diabaté concert is more than a performance — it is an invitation into the living heart of the griot tradition, where history, emotion and artistry meet.
Hawa Kasse Mady Diabaté was selected as the artist from the Danish-facilitated Spot on Mali Festival 2025 to be invited to Denmark to perform at SPOT Festival in Aarhus in 2026. Spot on Mali Festival supports Hawa Kasse Mady Diabaté on this tour.
