Native of Ségou, the traditional capital of the Bambara culture, of Biton Coulibaly and Damonzon Diarra, incontournables figures of the great Mandé tradition, Djénéba hails from a griot family. She was destined to be on stage – from a young age she accompanied her mother to perform during various events. But life wasn’t easy for this young girl, she lost her mother at a young age, who was also her teacher. At the age of eleven she enrolled in the theater group ‘Waleya’ in Ségou to study theatre, dance and music. She took part in cultural competitions at local, regional and national level in Mali.

In 2005, Koné was second in a national competition for solo vocalists. This was a big break for her and it lead to her being casted in a main role in the big production ‘Opera du Sahel’. In this big project she was able to collaborate and work with great artists such as Wassis Diop, Massabou Ouélé Diallo, Koulsy Lamko, Pape Sène, Jean-Pierre Leurs and the well known choreographer Germaine Acogny.

The performance was a great success and people could see the personage Bintou Wèrè being personified by Djeneba Koné. Due to her grand presence and her skills, Serge Aimé Coulibaly noticed her. He had been looking for a ‘mother Africa’ for his piece, an amazone woman capable of holding the space and the piece. Since the production ‘Babemba’, Koné is a part of Faso Danse Theatre.