Among Africa’s foremost voices since the 1980s, Baaba Maal returns this year for his first major tour after a long break, celebrating forty years on stage. Born in 1953 into a large family of fishermen in Podor, the northernmost town in Senegal on the banks of the Sénégal River at the border with Mauretania, he studied music in Dakar and Paris before setting off on a musical voyage of discovery through West Africa that lasted several years. During this period, he laid the foundations for his varied work, helping to shape the desert blues, recording albums, and founding his band Daande Leñol (The Voice of the People). He later released several solo albums and worked, among others, with Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Tony Allen, Mumford & Sons, and U2. With Hans Zimmer he made the music for the movie Black Hawk Down, and he is the voice of the Oscar- and Grammy-winning soundtrack for Black Panther. Even when cooperating with international artists, he always sings as a modern griot, storyteller, and troubadour with his unmistakeable voice in Pulaar, the Fula dialect of the Sénégal Valley. For decades, he has been using his fame and international success to promote social projects and to address issues like health, education, and ecology. He works with several international organizations, often performing at climate summits, donor conferences, and educational congresses. He has been a United Nations ambassador on educational and climate issues.