There are only two female Tuareg guitarists in the known world. Fatou Seidi Ghali of the tende duo, Les Filles de Illighadad, is one, but she's ready to change that.

Scattered across the Sahara Desert in Northern Africa, the Tuareg people live a nomadic life, anchored by a strong musical tradition with the guitar at its center. While most Tuareg are musicians in some form or another, the guitar is reserved almost exclusively for men, and with the steady rise of artists like Bombino, Mdou Moctar, and groups like Tinariwen, the world is becoming more and more familiar with the men of Tuareg guitar every day. Fatou Seidi Ghali and Les Filles de Illighadad want us to know about the women too.

Fatou was discovered by Sahel Sounds via a photo on the internet. Sahel Sounds tracked her down via her cousin, Ahmoudou Madassane, guitar player in Mdou Moctar's outfit, who happens to be the brother of Les Filles guitar player Abdoulay Madassane. Small world, right? Sahel Sounds has recorded and released two albums with Les Filles and have been touring the world for 4 years, mesmerizing audiences with the trance inducing rhytms.

We were introduced to Les Filles de Illighadad by a feature in She Shreds Magazine. We invited Les Filles de Illighadad, here in Chicago on their first US tour, to play for us in our Lincoln Avenue showroom and asked Fatou about her art, tende music, and what's really important in life. They treated us to a song on their traditional Tende drum and discovered a love for Santa Cruz Guitars.