Malian singer and guitarist Habib Koité has joined with Oxfam to protest US policies that dump commodities on poor countries. Koité is using his 33-city US concert tour to help educate Americans about the plight of struggling farmers.

With 20 years of music and four critically acclaimed albums under his belt, singer and guitarist Habib Koité is bringing his unique sound—and his high hopes for Mali—to North America.

On January 28, Koité and his rhythm section, Bamada, will begin a 33-city concert tour. More than just a gift for world music fans, the tour will give Koité a chance to educate Americans about the plight of struggling farmers in his home country of Mali.

"Mali is a country with a high percentage of agriculture and where cotton is mostly cultivated," Koité said. "The Malian producers remain in poverty because of their inability to sell their products. This is a situation that must be addressed if there are true intentions to make world trade equitable and develop poor countries such as Mali."

Koité has joined with Oxfam and celebrities including Michael Stipe, Alanis Morisette, Minnie Driver, Colin Firth, Chris Martin and Youssou N'Dour to protest US and developed nation policies that dump commodities on poor countries that depend on these crops.

In some recently released photos, Koité is pictured having cotton "dumped" on him to symbolize the plight of his country's cotton farmers facing unfair competition from their American counterparts.

Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign is seeking the reform of policies that protect rich US farmers and discriminate against poor farmers around the world. Oxfam wants Malian cotton farmers, for one, to be able to make a living—without having to compete with huge subsidy payments to corporate farms, which encourage overproduction and dumping.

Koité knows firsthand how important growing and selling certain crops can be. Cultivating cotton is a difficult life for farmers with few other options for earning income. Many farmers in Mali spend more money growing the cotton than they can earn selling it at current prices.

"We are a poor country and our (cotton) producers do not have the fortune to benefit from lots of rain," Koité said. "When harvest time comes, because of poor rains they are forced to sell the cotton at a higher price and are unable to compete with (imported) American cotton that is sold at a cheaper rate."

"It is my hope that the organizations which guide world trade will establish measures to address prices and subsidies more equitable for all countries throughout the world," Koité said.

Those attending Koité's concerts will be given the chance to join the campaign and get informed on the issues of fair trade. Concert attendees will also have the opportunity to sign up to Oxfam's Big Noise, a global petition that has gathered more than five million signatures world wide. Postcards with Koité's "dumping" image will also be available at the concerts.

"I think that my voice is one that carries. Because I have a certain popularity at the national and international level, I must seize this opportunity to make an appeal to the entire world to try to help the farmers in underdeveloped countries sell their products," Koité said.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of Habib's Putumayo releases will benefit Oxfam's Mali program.

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With One Foot in the Past and One Foot in the Future,Mali’s ...
Habib Koité joins Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair campaign

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