AFP – At the age of 88, barefoot and cinched into a belt of cowrie shells, renowned singer Mariam Bagayoko still sweeps across the stage with infectious energy, dazzling wide-eyed fans with the rhythms of a bygone Mali.
Beloved at home and abroad, the "Nightingale of Beledougou" has spent a lifetime carrying the traditional music far beyond her homeland, fighting to keep it alive in the modern world.
