Mali, as a country, is, to some extent, physically divided. In the south there are the thriving cities typical of Africa’s burgeoning society, but in the deserts to the north a lawless extremism has sporadically taken hold — to the extent that in 2013 the French military sent troops into the region. One particular — if, considering the circumstances, minor — casualty in the ongoing fray, has been music. Mali, local musicians like to claim, is the cradle of the blues, the true birthplace of the genre.

Continue reading Music Doc ‘Mali Blues’ Looks At The Power Of Song In A Violent World [TIFF Review] at The Playlist.