Imagine one of the most beautiful beaches in the world,
certainly the most famous, on which ran the provocative lifeguards on
Baywatch. Imagine one of those sunsets that only the Pacific can offer,
reflecting on the calm ocean the rainbow red of the saluting sun. Imagine
people of all ages, sexes, races and classes sitting together waiting for
a concert rich with emotion and cheerfulness. A sign reads "Dogs Are
Allowed", so dogs are there too among the waiting crowd. This is the
atmosphere in which performed Amadou and Mariam, on last August 16th, on
the Santa Monica Pier in California. The African musicians, a couple known
as the blind couple from Mali, have been travelling for years all over the
world to create awareness on issues relating to their Africa. He, a guitar
player, and she, a singer, met in 1977 at the Institute for Blind
Youth in Bamako, Mali's capital. They married and started an artistic and
life project so strong and authentic that they succeeded in communicating
at any latitude. 
Like Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder, Amadou and Mariam were
not born blind. Their blindness is due to the lack of resources of their
land: Mariam was five years old when untreated measles took away her
sight. Amadou, at fifteen, had a cataract for which, in Africa, it was not
possible to receive the treatment necessary to preserve his sight. Not
giving up, with Africa in their heart, both followed the example and the
rhythm of the musicians they loved so much and began their own adventure.
"Yes, that's right. Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, two musicians who
didn't become blind at birth just like us, gave us the courage to make our
first step in music: because if they had made it, it meant that we too
could try, that it was possible. Most of all, they motivated us to work
hard, because not only were they successful, they also made great
music.
We met both of them: first on the Ivory Coast, where we played
in a music concert where they both performed. Then again in the United
States, in Detroit," said the couple during an interview. And so it
happened. Their overpowering rhythm first became popular in all Africa,
then Europe, thanks to the great Manu Chao who also became their producer
and introduced them into the international music market.
Followed albums, concerts, tours, as the one that brought
them on the Santa Monica Pier one midsummer night. When the concert
begins, the couple convey such energy and enthusiasm that no one can
remain seated. Whether it is Amadou's funky rhythm or Mariam's enticing
voice, nobody can stay put. From the policeman tapping his foot on the
wooden pier to children playing on the beach and the waves, and dancing to
the music, the blind couple from Mali sing in their mother tongue and
in French, and even if we don't understand their words, the message is
communicated through the rhythm and the melody. And the message is one of
peace and love, of fraternity and freedom, of love and happiness, just
like in the piece The Beautiful Life recorded with Jovanotti on
his last album, an album that finally made them famous even in Italy. Of
course, on the beach of Santa Monica, life can only be beautiful, at least
during the two-hour concert which leaves the public breathless, so
powerful are the musicians, optimistic even when singing about the
problems facing their nation, and the people, from the Ivory Coast to
Senegal and Mali, who never forget about solidarity and friendship. On
such a night, the Santa Monica Pier's Twilight Concert Series offers yet
another free concert (free concerts have been organized on the famous
California beach for 30 years) which becomes a celebration where, it
is hoped, the LA gangs call it quits for a while, where Mexicans, Koreans
and African Americans put a hold on their war between people in despair.
Amadou and Mariam are Africans and they are blind, but they know how to
brighten the way and make us see that there is always hope somewhere.
Whether it is on the horizon of the Pacific or between desert dunes in
Africa, the important thing is to look in the right direction.