In 2025, Kanazoé Orkestra caught the attention of the trendiest airwaves with its smooth Afro-groove hit, “Kouma Bana.” If you haven’t yet experienced its exquisite sound—with its many instrumental arrangements magnificently carried by the virtuoso voice of Seydou Diabaté, AKA Kanazoé—you’ll have the chance to put that right during the Festival’s 40th anniversary this summer, where you’ll discover this “balafon superhero” from the “Land of the Honest Men.”

How did this Franco-Burkinabe ensemble, with its two balafons, come to be? To answer that, we only have to look to the extraordinary destiny of its maestro Seydou Diabaté, who grew up in a village not far from Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso, and was blessed as a child with a gift for playing the balafon. Kanazoé’s brilliance is expressed in a blend of traditional and contemporary influences that include the urban amapiano sounds of Africa’s spirited younger generation. Their messages resonate deeply and fuel hope for the present and future Africa. Unity is stronger than the heartbreak of exile.

With four albums since 2018—the last being Balabeatz, released in 2025—Kanazoé Orkestra’s influence on the global music scene is only growing stronger! It is maturing and gaining recognition thanks in part to Losso Keïta’s golden voice, a distinction he shares with the Malian nightingale, Salif Keïta. Just listen to “Djon Maya” (The Nature of Man), and you’ll understand. The balafon’s growing popularity is helping to shape the musical landscape inspired by Mandinka culture. We are witnessing a resurgence of this idiophone percussion instrument, which has too often been left out of the contemporary music scene, as it springs to life with renewed vigour to reconnect with the world of today and tomorrow.

Made up of a dynamic group of six musicians, Kanazoé Orkestra has performed in at least a dozen countries across 150 unforgettable concerts. Their unique blend of saxophone, flute, n’goni, guitar, bass, hybrid drums and, of course, the balafon, has earned them a devoted following. This impressive array of instruments delivers a truly ecstatic blend of hip hop, Afrobeat, 360 drill, trap, electro and rock. On stage, three amazingly nimble “beat makers” transcend the balafon’s mystical messages to transport us into a trance-like state. An Afro-electro performance that people will still be talking about forty years from now…

14/07/2026