Africa's Jimi Hendrix

Friendships forged during one of the world’s most unusual music festivals last year have resulted in one of Mali’s most popular musicians being invited to play at the Clarinbridge Arts Festival this weekend.Baba Salah, who is a superstar in Mali, hooked up with a group of six Irish traditional musicians during the Festival of the Desert in January of last year.Galway resident Elizabeth Healy, who brought the Irish musicians to the festival, has kept in touch with Salah since then and has managed to organise an eight night Irish tour which includes a date at the Clarinbridge Court Hotel on Saturday.Salah, who invited the Irish musicians to perform in his tent after enjoying their set at the festival, is delighted by the opportunity to embark on his first ever European tour. Healy was blown away by the hospitality she was shown by the impoverished locals when she attended the festival as a music fan in January 2004.In January of each year…..