Baaba Maal on the power of music and the future of Africa

“I’m a nomadic person, I don’t want to stay in one place”. When Baaba writes his music, he takes inspiration from the places he visits. “When I started travelling, I came to London, I bought cassettes, I appreciated different people. And when I got a chance to meet them, we sat down and wrote songs”. But no matter how much Baaba has travelled, and to where, he always brings his music “back home to Podor, Senegal”. 

Baaba has released his first solo album in seven years, ‘Being’, which is inspired by working on the soundtrack to Black Panther and the issues facing the world today, including climate change and desertification in African countries. In today’s Ways to Change the World, Baaba sits down with Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss the power of music and why we are all politicians in our own way when it comes to helping the world. 

Produced by: Imahn Robertson and Alice Wagstaffe

Music credits:

Wakanda by Ludwig Göransson ft. Baaba Maal - Hollywood Records

Yela by Baaba Maal - Island Records Ltd.

There Will Be Time (Live in South Africa) by Mumford & Sons and Baaba Maal - Gentlemen of the Road, Island, Glassnote