Fanta Damba (born 1938 in Ségou) is a Malian djelimuso (Bambara female Griot-singer) known to her fans as La Grande Vedette Malienne. Damba was a successful Mali musician born into the Jeli family, who are often called Griots. She began singing as a child while being surrounded by a family full of musicians. Damba began recording in her early twenties with Radio Mali. Fanta was one of Mali's most famous women from 1960-1970. In 1975, she became the first djelimuso to tour Europe solo and was also known for performing at the Mali national ensemble performance of the African Festival of Arts and Culture held in Lagos in 1977. She was rewarded for her talent by being named as a Ngara, which usually recognizes one as being a master musician. Many musicians aspire to be a Ngara, but very few he