Dimi Mint Abba

Dimi's parents were both musicians (her father had been asked to compose the Mauritanian national anthem), and she began playing at an early age. Her professional career began in 1976, when she sang on the radio and then competed, the following year, in the Umm Kulthum Contest in Tunis. Her winning song "Sawt Elfan" ("Art's Plume") has the refrain "Art's Plume is a balsam, a weapon and a guide enlightening the spirit of men", which can be interpreted to mean that artists play a more important role than warriors in society.

Her first international release was on the World Circuit record label, following a recommendation from Ali Farka Touré. On this album, she was accompanied by her husband Khalifa Ould Eide and her two daughters.

Later she composed famous and popular Mauritanian songs like "Hailala" and "Koumba bay bay". She died in June 4, 2011, in Casablanca, Morocco following a stage accident in Aioun ten days earlier when she was singing for Sahrawi public. Dimi in her life time had toured African countries widely, Europe in (1989) and (2006) respectively, the United States (US) in (1993), Australia in (2009).[1]

She died of a cerebral hemorrhage.[2][3] Her death was described as "a national loss" by Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, the President of Mauritania.[4]

Albums

• Khalifa Ould Eide & Dimi Mint Abba, Moorish Music from Mauritania. World Circuit WCD 019, 1990.
• Dimi Mint Abba, Music and Songs of Mauritania, Auvidis Ethnic 1992.

Contributing artist

• The Rough Guide to West African Music, World Music Network, 1995
• Unwired: Africa, World Music Network, 2000

• Music of Mauritania

• Sharjah Art Foundation
• BBC Press Release on her 2006 appearance in The Proms.
• BBC Recording of her 2006 appearance at WOMAD.
• BBC Report on her 2004 appearance at WOMAD.
• Mondomix
• Afropop worldwide
• Culturebase (in German)