Baby it’s dark outside
Nights are dark and quiet in Bamako, thanks to power struggles and struggling power companies. But along the river the music plays on.
Diak Sinaly* in Bamako
Nights in Bamako are getting hotter, which isn’t helped by frequent power outages that can last for up to two days. The droning sounds of generators drown out the music in my neighbourhood.
Over the past two years, the public electricity utility, EDM-SA, has struggled to keep the lights on, amid allegations of corruption that led to the suspension of energy minister Lamine Seydou Traoré. He, and several company executives, now face embezzlement charges. They deny wrongdoing.
Fuel prices for generators rose steeply under the sanctions imposed in response to the country’s two military coups.
Indoors, the aircon is often off. I feel restless, frustrated and bored indoors.
So I gravitate towards Bamako’s nightclubs. Despite the political crisis many have flourished across the Malian capital: Start Night, Bla Bla Club, Arobase, Ibiza, Byblos, Privilege, Exodus, Savama, Guina Dogon, Akwaba, Terrasse, Cinquantenaire. Often run by Lebanese nationals, they dot both sides of River Niger, on the outskirts of chic neighbourhoods like Badalabougou, ACI 2000, Golf and Korofina.
Inside, young urban Malians mix and party with foreigners working with international agencies: Ivorians, Nigeriens, Burkinabè and others. The expat community is dwindling but still makes up a sizable chunk of the clientele.
I call an old classmate to my place, pull on a pair of blue jeans, a white t-shirt and white shoes.
Around midnight, when the air outside is cooler, we leave the house. The clubs have just opened their doors and the music is starting to peak.
My favourite spot is Ibiza, one of the biggest and most popular nightclubs in Al Quds Avenue. I enjoy its combination of African, American, French and Arabic music. It puts on special concerts for Valentine’s Day and International Women’s Day, and offers discounted pizza and soda combos every other night.
However, even nightlife is dimmed by power outages. The streets have become darker, often lit only by Chinese-made solar lamps illuminating shops and the lights of vehicles.
Nightclubs have been forced to either adapt by buying generators or reducing their operating hours. Sometimes both, because of the high costs of fuel and generator maintenance.
EDM-SA’s own generators reportedly need about a million litres of fuel per day, which costs about $1-million. Last May, the transitional government gave the company $10-million for fuel. Not much changed except for the mounting calls for the energy minister to resign. The night economy continues to darken.
At the club, I get a soft drink, which I sip for most of the night, and catch up with my friend over the loud music.
Many clubs sell alcohol, which some drink in secret as Mali is a majority Muslim country and alcohol is forbidden. Others smoke. People dance, gravitating towards each other as the rhythm flows.
Mali is known for its oral historians, jalis/jelis, griots and the kora – the west African harp. There is also the Ngoni (a lute), the Bala (a xylophone), and the desert rhythms of the Tamashek. These sounds continue to influence Malian music.
The extraordinarily rich confluence of these sounds is a legacy of the Mande empire of the 10th to 15th century that spread from present day Senegal to Niger.
In the club, popular artists like Sidiki Diabate dominate the airwaves but they also increasingly play Afrobeats, amapiano or Bongo Flavour.
One of my favourite Nigerian songs starts playing and I get up for another drink. The music picks up pace.
As long as we’re in here, you wouldn’t know how dull and dim it is outside.