Floby

Floby is Burkina Faso’s top pop artist. He’s been recording hits for more than ten years now, and remains very popular. In this programme, he shares his amazing life story: he was brought up in a rural village by his grandmother, who was a griot and taught him to sing, as well as the traditional rhythms of the Mossi people. He had no education because there was no money, and ended up living on the streets of Ouagadougou, the Burkinabe capital, for six years. But he finally met a producer who had faith in him.

Today he is known as le Papa des Orphelins – or father of the orphans – and often addresses destitute young people in his songs. He has also set up a festival to showcase traditional Burkinabe music and to help preserve traditional Mossi culture.