March/April 2009

Music: Welcome to Mali

Amadou & Mariam

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Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia embody eclecticism at its liveliest. Following 2005’s Dimanche à Bamako, recorded with Spanish collagist Manu Chao, this bracing album from the blind Malian couple gracefully blends everything from traditional instruments like kora and balafon to cellos and trombones, generating hypnotic, danceable layers of sound. Highlights include the synth-driven “Sabali,” produced by Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz), the sexy R&B of “Je Te Kiffe,” and “Masiteladi,” featuring Amadou & Mariam’s gospel-style vocal exchanges, spiky guitar riffs, and a deep-funk groove. One of the pleasures of Welcome to Mali is listening for the surprising ingredients the band adds to its endlessly flexible songs.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

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