MFF – Amadou & Mariam The Blind Couple from Mali

Dutch premiere of the documentary about the infectious, danceable music of the blind Malian duo Amadou & Mariam, well known in Tilburg for their memorable performance at Festival Mundial.

Amadou & Mariam blend traditional Malian music with Western pop, creating a distinctive sound marked by Amadou's shimmering guitar playing and irresistibly danceable rhythms.

Singer and guitarist Amadou Bagayoko and singer Mariam Doumbia met at the Institute for the Young Blind in Bamako, Mali. From that moment on, they were inseparable—as life partners and musical collaborators—until Amadou's passing in 2025.

Blind Couple from Mali traces their extraordinary journey, from their first performances together in 1980, initially across Africa and, from 1985 onwards, in France and at world music festivals around the globe. Their international breakthrough came in 2005 with the album Dimanche à Bamako, produced by Manu Chao. In 2008, they were among the headlining acts at Festival Mundial in Tilburg.