Men Doing Wonders Series - Mady
This year, to celebrate the month of Father’s Day, we asked men that running impactful enterprises and are part of our Ethical Lifestyle Hub Directory, what is driving them to lead a business with purpose. Those we highlight are men of strength, compassion, and resilience - working toward bettering the world around them as well as being a Father or mentor. This blog highlights Mady Keita of Super Mande Percussion
Super Mande Percussion is a centre of West African music, culture, drumming and dance, based in Melbourne and operating throughout Australia. Run by Mady Keita, an authentic and renowned musician and Master Drummer from Mali in West Africa, Super Mande Percussion provides a full range of African drumming services.
Tell us about you and why you started your organisation
Mady Keita is a Roots Djembe Traditionalist who began his drum tutelage under the guidance of the legendary Mouriba Keita. From the age of 14, Mady studied the traditional rhythms of his people - The Bambara Tribe from Mali. Steeped in a heritage of djembe, dounoun, calabash and song, Mady soon became an active member of local Bamako outfits - Babemba International Ballet and The Ballet National. Later he graduated to chief percussionist of Shemin de Fer and became the music composer and director of Troupe Sehwa - a music theatre production in Bamako. Through these groups Mady toured the Ivory Coast, Senegal and Burkina Faso, then went to both Algeria and Libya where he worked and continued to promote Mande music to North Africa. Upon return to Mali, Mady Keita formed his own group Mande Percussion in 1995 with friend and master djembe player, Moussa Keita. Mady also continued to work as a renowned freelance percussionist with the likes of Rokia Traore.
Later, Mady registered his group as the Association for the Promotion and Development of Traditional Malian Art and Culture: Mande Percussion, focusing primarily on the preservation of traditional instrumental music, percussion and dance. Mady was nominated as President of the Association, owing to his extensive experience and knowledge of the traditional culture. Through the Association, Mady purchased land at Kabala, 15 km from Bamako, to develop a cultural centre and school for traditional Malian music and dance. Malian music could be viewed and taught here giving employment opportunities to Mali’s excessive amount of talented, unemployed artists.
After extensive work with Mande Percussion, Mady was sponsored by Mr. Jean-Christophe Plat to create their first album Welekan. The album highlights the mastery of Mady Keita and is focused primarily on traditional Mande (also referred to as Manding) music. Mady has always strived to keep the music, dance and costumes as traditional as possible in order to preserve this rich and unique culture.
Mady's music, skill, passion and dedication have seen him travel the world and spread the deep musical roots of Mali. In 2005, Mady migrated to Melbourne in Australia and has continued the Mande traditions as a teacher and craftsman of djembe and dounoun, educating many aspiring percussionists, performing with his band Super Mande Percussion, and working with both African and Western musicians. He has since become one of Australia's finest exponents of West African music and culture.
Did fatherhood encourage you to set up an impactful business? Why?
Mady's ambitions to set up an impactful business began well before the 1995 establishment of his Association for the Promotion and Development of Traditional Malian Art and Culture: Mande Percussion, ie. a long time before entering the world of fatherhood. Having said this, Mady's children often find themselves happily immersed in his business through a diverse range of musical, festive and multicultural events. Their ongoing enthusiasm for his work provides a constant source of encouragement to keep it going.
What impact do you hope to achieve through your business?
There are many reasons why Mady established Super Mande Percussion - and impacts that he hopes to achieve through his business - but here are the top three:
1. Improve people's lives through African drumming.
2. Raise the profile of the Djembe as an instrument for the world, not just for African people.
3. Giving Back to the World
Improve people's lives through African drumming
In Mady's home country, Mali, the drums are a daily part of life. Some of the many ways in which people’s lives can be improved through African drumming include:
Drumming is intuitive and accessible to anyone – we all have rhythm!
The various repetitions of the steady beat enhances your capacity to listen.
Drumming decreases depression, anxiety, stress, preconceived inhibitions and expectations.
Refines the use of motor skills and brings people together physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Drumming together benefits physical health.
Stimulates creativity.
Boosts morale and creates a sense of being.
Raise the profile of the Djembe as an instrument for the world, not just for African people
According to the Bamana people in Mali, the name of the djembe (pronounced jembeh) comes from the saying "Anka dje, anka beh" which can be broadly translated as "everyone unite in friendship". Literally, "anka” is the word for “everyone”, “dje” means "friendship" and "beh" translates as "united".
Mady goes further to explain that many different people come together as one through compromise. This is brought about by the beat of the djembe drum, which by its very nature draws people to congregate and inspires everyone to resolve their differences. This is the real significance of this instrument in Mali, the instrument that encourages “the consideration of each other“, the instrument that brings the world together.
When you look at a djembe drum with the ropes, what do you see? The world in a cradle.
“The cradle is representing all the people united together to hold up the world. This means that everyone will come, one day, to realise one destiny, one culture, one love and one common humanity. And this word comes from the Mande country."
Mady Keita
Giving Back to the World
Through Mady's growing social enterprise, Super Mande Percussion, he continuously seeks opportunities to give back to the world in various ways, including:
Employment opportunities to professional artists in the local African music community
Financial support to Mady's extended family network and community in his home country of Mali.
In-kind support and services in the areas of homelessness, disability and mental health.
Contribution to the "One Tree Planted" global reforestation initiative by funding the planting of one tree for every product purchased.
What legacy do you want to leave behind as a father to your children?
For them to appreciate the significance of their African heritage and philosophy - "We are African, life is now. Whatever happened in the past, has already happened. Whatever may happen in the future, we can hope for but cannot know." - and above all, for them to be themselves.
To learn more about Super Mande Percussion , visit: https://www.moralfairground.com.au/supermande-percussion
Become an Ethical Lifestyle Hub Member today : https://www.moralfairground.com.au/ethical-lifestyle-hub-membership