Khaira Arby

"The first time (I toured) the United States was a dream come true; this time it’s to make my name truly well-known"

"This time it’s with more assurance and more confidence.”"

"You have to evolve with the times"

"Life is long, and there are always obstacles,Whatever I do, I do clearly with all my strength."

"My objective is to see the young girls singing, taking the stage, and doing things for themselves. There are many more women who have become artists — 70 percent of new artists (in Mali) are women — and even those who don’t have the voice to sing accompany others in dance groups or they dance. A lot has changed, even in my city of Timbuktu."

"My music makes me feel young."

"If you ban music in Mali, or in the whole world, it's like cutting people's oxygen off"