Meet Khaira Arby, Mali's Diva of the Desert

In this scene from The Last Song Before the War, Khaira Arby shares her journey to become a singer against the wishes of her father. Any artist who has fought to find their voice will be moved by her struggle.

Khaira Arby
To those in Mali, Khaïra Arby (pronounced: Hī-ra Arbē) is known as the "Diva of the Desert" or the "Nightingale of the North." Born in the village Agouni, north of Timbuktu in the Sahara, to a Songhai mother and a Berber father, Arby's roots reflect the ethnic diversity in Mali. Against her father's wishes, drawing on inspiration from her cousin Ali Farka Touré, Arby pursued music as a way to discuss issues that are important to her fellow countrymen, from love, peace, family, women's issues, development, democracy, and the everyday lives of the people. Her music includes sounds of the banjo, ngoni, electric guitar, drums traditional violin, and the calabash mixed with languages from Arabic, French, Songhai, and Tamashek.

After achieving much success as a young musician, Khaïra married at the age of 14. She tried to continue singing, but was forced to stop until she sought a divorce 8 years later. At 22, Khaïra was on her own. She made her first recording with the Orchestre Regional de Tombouctou and after a short time she was invited to sing with the famous Orchestre Badema in Bamako. She continued to earn her stripes beside such Malian stars as her cousin, Ali Farka Touré and the influential Fissa Maïga. Since the 1980's Khaïra has focused all her energies on her music. With three albums in her own name she is the voice of Mali's North.