baaba maal, welcome to hardtalk— baaba maal, welcome to | hardtalk._ it's baaba maal, welcome to - hardtalkt hardtalk. thank you. it's great to have you _ hardtalk. thank you. it's great to have you back _ hardtalk. thank you. it's great to have you back on _ hardtalk. thank you. it's great to have you back on this - to have you back on this hardcourt studio. —— hardtalk. you have a new album out, being, yourfirst you have a new album out, being, your first for several years and i was interested to see the other day you describe yourself these days as an elder. does it mean your music is sort of changing as you gain more and more experience and wisdom? �* , ., more and more experience and wisdom? �*, ., . ., ., wisdom? it's not changing at all. it's wisdom? it's not changing at all- it'siust _ wisdom? it's not changing at all. it'sjust coming - wisdom? it's not changing at all. it'sjust coming to - wisdom? it's not changing at all. it'sjust coming to this i all. it's just coming to this natural way of playing music. maybe it's a kind of reflection of the first way i was writing songs, where

freak out by baaba maal plays.e, baaba, which i think get to the heart of what we're talking about — that marriage of tradition and modernity and the musicalfusions as well. what really strikes me is the excitement of young people. does your music today still excite the young people of your home? it does, and i'm very surprised. but at the same time, i think these people, the young ones, are really, really interested about the journey that i have been taking since a long time, trying to represent them in the rest of the world and bringing back something that can make the platform for them to discuss with me, to talk amongst themselves, to see the experiences and to know exactly what they want to do, what they have to do and their responsibility. if i may, there is a big difference growing up in podor today from when you grew up there because then, your entertainment was the local music, the local cultural traditions. today, i dare say the young people in your hometown, they have access through their phone and throu

but it also has a proud tradition of giving cultural riches to the world and my guest today is baaba maal

but it also has a proud tradition of giving cultural riches to the world and my guest today is baaba maal