This record [Niafunké] is more real, more authentic. It was recorded in the place where the music belongs: deep Mali. We were in the middle of the landscape which inspired the music and that in turn inspired myself and the musicians. My music is about where I come from and our way of life, and it is full of important messages for Africans. In the West perhaps this music is just entertainment and I don’t expect people to understand. But I hope some might take the time to listen and learn.

—Ali Farka Touré (1999)