Bamako: Musician Soungalo de Tangora launched his four-track album, 'Barga,' meaning 'blessing' in the local language, on Friday, May 29, 2026, in Niangoloko. Through this work, he conveys messages of love, social cohesion, living together, and a return to traditional values. Accompanied by the goni, a traditional local instrument, the artist presented his musical work to the public in Niangoloko, in the Tannounyan region.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the dedication ceremony was held under the patronage of His Majesty Baba Fr©d©ric H©ma, chief of the canton of Niangoloko, and Vieux Abdoul Rachid Soulama, secretary general of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. It was placed under the chairmanship of the president of the special municipal delegation of Niangoloko, Ouss©ni Oudraogo, and under the sponsorship of the former mayor of Banfora, El Hadj Souleymane Soulama, Ahmed Baba Soulama, promoter of the Leslites de Banfora school complex, and Dr. Sodjomon Bienvenu Sirima, director general of the Health Research-Action Group.
On this occasion, Soungalo de Tangora, aged 54, confided that he had learned to play the goni from the age of 14 from his late father. "I have mastered the secrets of the goni. I have been invited to perform in several locations in Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. Thanks to the blessings of my parents, I crossed paths with the promoter Dibaha Michel Soulama, who decided to produce me. Today, this project has become a reality," he said.
The ceremony's sponsor, El Hadj Souleymane Soulama, also said he was impressed by the quality of the album and the scope of the messages it conveys. "We must encourage and support our traditional artists. In the past, the goni was played at major events in our communities. Soungalo already accompanied his father, who sometimes performed for my own father. It is a talent that we must support and preserve at all costs," he stated.
The representative of the canton chief, the land chief of Niangoloko, His Majesty Safemba Soma, for his part invited young people to take an interest in the goni, believing that this instrument risks disappearing if no action is taken to ensure its transmission to future generations. He specified that in Ciraamba country, the goni was once the preferred instrument during weddings and cultural ceremonies, long before the advent of the balafon.
The artist-musician Soungalo de Tangora is produced by Dibaha Management and Services (DMS), a structure specializing in the promotion of traditional music and local artistic troupes. The ceremony concluded with performances by traditional troupes as well as a live concert by the artist, which was very popular with the audience.