In the West, there is something timeless in the very idea of a young woman singing with her guitar. Fatoumata Diawara reappropriates this strong image. She transposes it into a new era, into another culture, thus giving a resolutely African perspective to the concept of singer-songwriter. Her radiant smile superbly irrigates her elegance. She blends jazz and funk with minimal folk. Through an instinctive pop sensibility, she reinvents the fast rhythms and bluesy melodies of her ancestral wassoulou tradition. At the center of her music, her warm, soulful voice, rhythm guitar and beautifully melodic songs powerfully tell the story of a full but often difficult life. Damon Albarn, Toumani Diabaté, Herbie Hancock and John Paul Jones are just a few of the more well-known musicians who have succumbed to Fatou’s obvious musical charm, whose presence has illuminated the Africa Express, AfroCubism and Imagine projects.