We’re proud and grateful to announce today the opening of a new recording studio in Kirina, Mali, made possible through the support of Damon Albarn, frontman of Blur and Gorillaz, and dedicated to the legacy of the Grammy-award winning Malian musician Toumani Diabaté.
Damon Albarn personally attended the inauguration of the studio in Kirina on December 13, 2025, alongside government officials, members of the Diabaté family, and representatives from surrounding communities. Damon has supported PFCF’s music school in Kirina for the past nine years and fully funded the construction of the studio facilities. Built using local resources and traditional mud bricks, the studio is entirely powered by solar energy and equipped with high-end recording equipment and microphones, including a 40-channel analog console generously donated by Albarn. The Toumani Diabaté Studio is located at the École de Musique de Kirina, a free music school founded in 2010 by the Playing For Change Foundation, along with Diabaté’s brother, Mahamadou Diabate. The school serves more than 200 students each week, offering music, dance, and academic classes with the mission of preserving, promoting, and passing on Mali’s rich musical and cultural heritage. With Albarn’s previous support, PFCF has also helped provide access to clean water for more than 2,000 community members in Kirina, and the upkeep of a local maternity ward, in line with PFCF’s mission to create positive change.
We are deeply grateful for Damon’s support on this project and are committed to honoring Toumani’s legacy by bringing life—and great music—into and beyond the walls of this new recording studio.
