Arat Kilo

Sowal” means “question” in Persian, “diabi” means “answer” in Bambara. This ambitious project was first envisaged more than two years ago while pondering the plight of refugees, their contribution despite the somewhat hostile attitudes people display towards them. Sowal Diabi brought together on the same stage artists that have all experienced exile, physical or cultural: Malian singer Mamani Keita, Iranian singer Aïda Nosrat, her compatriot Sogol Mirzaei playing the târ (lute), the Afghan tabla-player Siar Hashimi, the Kurdish stranbej (virtuoso singer) Ruşan Filiztek and the French Ethio-jazz group Arat Kilo.

A global project, born in Paris. Arat Kilo cultivates Ethio jazz grooves, Mamani Keita is one of Mali's leading diaspora voices, and Mike Ladd is a master of spoken words.