Fatoumata Diawara

Born in 19822, Fatoumata Diawara spent her early years in Abidjan in a large family. Her mother is a dancer. His father runs an association of traditional shows. He introduced her to dance and the guitar. At the age of 9, after the sudden death of an older sister, she was adopted by her actress aunt who lives in Mali. In 1997, Fatoumata Diawara was spotted by the filmmaker Cheick Oumar Sissoko who hired her in the film La Genèse (prize "Un certain regard" at the Cannes Film Festival in 1999) in order to interpret the leading female role. In 1998, she left for France to work at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord on Jean-Louis Sagot-Duvauroux's adaptation of the play Antigone. She appeared in several feature films including Sìa: Le Rêve du python2 (Special Jury Prize at Fespaco in 2001). In 2002, she fled a forced marriage with her cousin to join the Royal luxury company and spent six years in the troupe1. According to Jean-Luc Courcoult, "She could sing a little, she could not play well, but I was looking for a temperament, something else". In November 2006, she was chosen to play the leading female role of the Opéra du Sahel, in Bamako.