In Mali, it is common for women to sing, but much rarer for them to play an instrument. As a result, Fatoumata Diawara—who is one of the first, if not the first woman guitarist in all of Mali—has developed a self-taught, intuitive guitar playing style that is entirely her own. “This way of playing, it's me,” says Fatoumata. “It represents my fight as a musician, as an African, and as a lady on stage.” In this episode of Object of Sound, Fatoumata talks to Hanif about how she discovered her calling as a musician, and the exciting ways that she is fusing the traditional music of her homeland with Western influences on her third studio album, out next year. Hanif closes the episode with a selection of blues and folk music from Mali. / Music In This Week’s Episode: / Kalan - Fatoumata Diawara Bassemory - Mamou Sidibé Lalla - Tinariwen Kuma - Salif Keita Sabali - Amadou & Mariam Sarama - Oumou Sangaré Tongo Barra - Vieux Farka Touré, Khruangbin