JOIN USThe voice of Wakanda
I first heard Baaba Maal’s voice in that celebrated Kerala tourism ad of 2010 (Remember the one where a woman explores the, well, have to say it, ‘God’s own country’, on her own? And the ad ends by telling you that your moment is waiting? Yes, the same one). Remember the voice that glided over all the cliches of Kerala but still stood out — distinct, powerful and soul-stirring in the truest sense of the word? Whose voice was this? I recall now I had scanned the comments feverishly and a kind viewer had mentioned that the jingle was sung by a Senegalese singer.
At least, that was something to go by. I then sent the video to my Kenyan friend who immediately replied that this was Baaba Maal, whose voice, they said, was like the Senegal River itself — famous throughout history as the river of gold.
They, whoever they were, were right. Over the years, I have occasionally returned to Baaba Maal, when the soul yearns to head elsewhere. And he has never refused to take me on that journey. Be it his track ‘Hunger’ for the Hollywood movie Black Hawk Down or the Wakandan soundtrack of Black Panther, his voice has that power to shake up your insides and yet leave you with a feeling that there’s eternity somewhere. And sometimes you find it in scratchy recordings of tourism jingles.
Play By Ear showcases a potential earworm every week for you, the discerning listener, who is on the hunt for some musical serendipity.