THE FIRST act to be announced for this summer’s Glastonbury is Malian singer Rokia Traore and bands from the embattled country will open the Pyramid stage each day, organisers have said. In an intended act of solidarity with musicians in Mali, where Islamists in the north have banned music, other parts of the festival will also feature a strong west African presence.

“We have a long tradition dating back to the 1980s of African acts playing the festival,” Glastonbury's co-organiser Emily Eavis said. “Given the situation in Mali at the moment, it felt particularly important to show some solidarity. We want to stay out of the politics, but if we can give musicians a platform we will always do that.”

Traore, 38, from north-western Mali, is one of the country’s most celebrated performers. “What is happening with the Islamists is a tragedy, although we have been given some hope by events this week,” she said, referring to the intervention of French troops.

She added: “Music is such an important part of our culture. It has always been a way of bringing together the different ethnic groups; it is what makes the country.

“If it can happen in Mali, it can happen anywhere.”

Tickets for the festival in June sold out in a record one hour 40 minutes in October. No other acts have yet been announced, and it is understood that only one headliner has been booked so far.

“It’s a relief not to talk about the headliners,” Eavis said. “The festival is so much more than three bands at the top of the bill.

“We’ve got a responsibility to introduce people to great music that they may not have heard before. One of the best things I’ve ever seen at Glastonbury was [Malian duo] Amadou & Mariam.”

Other Malian acts to have played the festival include Tinariwen, Toumani Diabate, Salif Keita and the late Ali Farka Toure.

By arrangement with the Guardian