M. Lamine "Dibo" Camara was born on the lush tropical west coast of Guinea in 1957 to parents of Susu and Baga origin. His professional training began in Conakry at the age of ten, where he tirelessly perfected the rich and diverse music of his shared ethnicities, learning the voice of the sanbanyi (yembé/djembe) from traditional drum masters who passed down the ancient music of their culture to their young apprentices. After being selected as a troupe member of the Yolé club of Boulbinet, he traveled throughout Guinea to perform at village celebrations and seasonal ceremonies where he quickly mastered the rhythms of neighboring ethnic groups including the Malinké, Bambara, Fula and Temne. During these years, his instrumental repertoire expanded to mastery of the doundoumba, sangban, kenkeni, sico, krinyi, and gongoma.
Although groomed for the National Ballets of Guinea, Lamine chose to follow his own dreams and let his amazing talent take him where few Guineans were able to go. Arriving first in Senegal in 1979, Lamine founded the Forets Sacrée de Casamance and became the principal soloist for Les Ballets d'Afrique Noire de Mansour Gueye. In Dakar he was exposed to even more diverse music and his own unique style and mesmerizing virtuosity began to develop. His skills as an arranger and performer also flourished and when he was chosen by Ballet Bougarabou to head its 1983 European tour, an international star was born.
Having fulfilled his duties with the African Ballets, Lamine chose to stay in Europe, joining the prestigious Grands Ballets d'Afrique Noir of Paris, France in late 1983. There, he was given the nickname "Diable du Rythme" (The Rhythm Devil or "Dibo") for his amazing speed, technique, and phrasing and was soon thrilling audiences throughout Europe and Scandinavia as principal soloist and arranger for the ballet and in support of top African and international contemporary artists including: Ousmane Kouyate, Alphonse Souma, Norma Claire, and Abdoulaye Camara. Dibo also formed the performing group Ballet Nimba with his brother M'Bemba Camara and received acclaim for his performance in the international television special of Archie Shepp's "Black Ballad" with jazz legend Dee Dee Bridgewater.
In 1989 Lamine and M'Bemba composed the critically acclaimed CD, Ballet Nimba, and embarked on a vigorous touring schedule throughout Europe and the United States. That same year, Dibo moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, where he continued to instruct and inspire students at the Rythmisk Konservatior and Center for Rythmisk Musik, as well as organize and produce workshops and performances with Sekouba Camara, Mamady Keita and other current and former members of Guinea's National Ballet Djoliba. While in Denmark, he also founded the first version of the educational and performance percussion ensemble Forè-Foté with brother A. Miguel Camara, and began to realize the dream of true artistic and cultural exchange between Guinée and the rest of the world.
Lamine now resides in the United States and alternates performing with teaching while presiding over his one of a kind school of drum and dance. The Company Forè-Foté School of Drum and Dance, located on the beautiful tropical Island of Roume (a 1hr. boat ride from Conakry), opened in 1987 becoming the first organized camp in Guinea for international students of percussion and dance. Providing two- to four-week residencies in Guinea's dry season, December through March, the school offers students the unique opportunity to live and participate in a real Susu village while studying up to six hours per day with premier instructors chosen from the National Ballet Djoliba and Les Ballets Africains.