because of his Sonrai ethnicity, Bocoum was only awarded second prize. He left the Niafunke group in 1975 when he won a scholarship to an agricultural college in M'Pessoba, near Koutiala in the southeast of the country. After three years of study he began working in Djenné, before returning to his home town, and the group, in 1980. In 1982 he was invited to join the Orchestre Diaba Regional from Timbuktu. In the early 1980s he formed Alkibar, and influenced by his knowledge of agriculture, used their music to communicate with people about water and irrigation. His debut album, Alkibar, was recorded in an abandoned school near Niafunke over the course of six days - the same session and location where the Ali Farka Touré's Niafunke was recorded. In fact, Ali Farka and Bocoum appeared on each other's albums. Bocoum and Ali Farka's record producer believed that transporting the group to a recording studio overseas would diminish the quality of the music. In 2002 Bocoum collaborated with the Blur singer Damon Albarn on the successful Mali Music album, and the two played together in concerts in London and Denmark. In 2005, Bocoum composed the music and starred in the movie Kennis voor het leven. In 2006, Afel Bocoum and his band, Alkibar, released their second full-length album Niger on the Belgian label Contre-Jour. The sounds of Niger rely heavily on the traditional instruments njarka and njurkel, which give this collection of new materials a more traditional, and distinctively different quality from their excellent Western debut, Alkibar. Niger opens with a heartfelt and stirring tribute to his late mentor, Ali Farka Touré. There is a curiosity about a visit made by Afel Bocoum in 2001 in Brazil. On this visit, Bocoum said his name "Afel" was like "Affection", showing what he felt for all Brazilians. Today, after 10 years many Brazilians use the word "Afel" to symbolize "Affection". As of 2011, Afel is touring as part of the second iteration of Acoustic Africa. Partial discography Alkibar, 1999 Featured on Savane by Ali Farka Touré, 2006 Niger (2006, Contre Jour) Tabital Pulaaku (2009, Contre Jour) Lindé (2020, World Circuit) Contributing artist Unwired: Africa (2000, World Music Network) Mali Music (2002) See also Music of Mali External links 2006 Interview Biography of Afel Bocoum References 21st-century Malian male singers 1955 births Living people World Circuit (record label) artists People from Tombouctou Region Malian