Boncana Maïga, a Malian composer, arranger and bandleader known for blending Afro-Cuban and West African styles, died Feb. 28, 2026, in Bamako. Mali’s state broadcaster, ORTM, said he died about 5 a.m. at a clinic. No cause of death was disclosed.
Often working behind the scenes as a musical director and arranger as well as a songwriter, Maïga was known for developing and guiding performers and for shaping how songs sounded on stage and on air. Over the years he was associated with helping train, launch or accompany prominent artists, including Aïcha Koné and Koffi Olomidé.
A defining thread in his career was his training in Cuba and the enduring Afro-Latin sensibility it brought to his work. Listeners came to recognize the blend as “salsa mandingue,” a style that fused Afro-Cuban forms with Malian and wider West African rhythms. That approach became closely associated with Las Maravillas del Mali, a group frequently credited with bringing Afro-Cuban vocabulary into dialogue with the region’s dance-music traditions.
Maïga also held an institutional role in Côte d’Ivoire, serving for 14 years as conductor and arranger for the RTI broadcaster’s orchestra. The job involved preparing arrangements and leading performances for radio and television broadcasts.
After returning to Mali in 2005, he opened a video and music production company and later co-hosted music programs on radio and television. Through continued performances and collaborations, including co-founding Africando, Maïga continued working in Afro-Cuban-influenced styles in West Africa.