Mali’s Oumou Sangaré wins big at Songlines Music Awards

Sangaré won both the Best Artist and the Africa and Middle East regional award categories.

She fought competition from Boubacar Traoré, Vieux Farka Touré, Tamikrest (Mali), Msafiri Zawose (Tanzania) and Maya Youssef (Syria) to claim the prizes.

Mali/US group Trio Da Kali & Kronos Quartet came out on top in the Fusion category.

The Best Group category, which had Zimbabwean outfit Mokoomba as the only African entrant, saw Italy's Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino winning the award. Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo received the World Pioneer Award, while Maya Youssef picked up the Newcomer Award for 2018.

Below is the full list of winners and nominees:

Best Artist

• Oumou Sangaré 
• Boubacar Traoré
• Vieux Farka Touré
• Maya Youssef

Best Group

• Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino
• Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band
• Mokoomba
• She’Koyokh

Africa and Middle East

• Oumou Sangaré
• Msafari Zawose
• Tamikrest
• Maya Youssef

Americas

• Rhiannon Giddens
• Aurelio
• Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
• La Mambanegra

Asia and Pacific

• Black String
• Farida Parveen
• Archie Roach
• Baluji Shrivastav

Europe

• Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band
• Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino
• Lankum
• Saz’iso

Fusion

• Trio da Kali & Kronos Quartet
• Ìfé
• Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita
• Warsaw Village Band

World Pioneer Award

• Angélique Kidjo

Newcomer Award

• Maya Youssef