Transcription: Student performance of beautiful song from Mali

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Someone was asking about transcribing an Irish tune recently. Funnily enough, I was already working on a little project. Many years ago I transcribed a lot of West African balafon (african xylophone) music, for interest's sake, as I've been interested in certain kinds of African music for many many years.

A couple of years ago on Youtube I ran across a spectacular little student performance of some kind of Malian song; there is no information on it, and I cannot say whether it is traditional or not, but it is certainly sung in a traditional-sounding way. The piano accompaniment was probably inspired by the style of a traditional instrument such as the kora.

Source:
"Spot On: New Talents at CAMM (Music Conservatory) in Mali"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQo5vkH4puY

This video is 21 minutes long. Hawa Dembele sings at 06:31. Direct link to start video at that point:

https://youtu.be/jQo5vkH4puY?t=391


Transcription starts a few seconds into Hawa's recorded performance, 2 bars before she starts singing fortissimo -- here is the exact location, if this is helpful:

https://youtu.be/jQo5vkH4puY?t=398

I have not tried to capture all the stylistic features of the singing, so the transcription is a reasonable approximation only. I paid more attention to the piano, but of course the score does not indicate the dynamics and interpretation. The 'inner voices' are generally very very quiet.

These are undergrads at a music conservatory in Mali, and the video suggests that both traditional and western music studies are offered. Hawa will obviously be soon capable of a career as a popular & traditional singer. The young man accompanying her is clearly not a pianist -- he is probably fulfilling a piano requirement. He does his best. I have cleaned up his performance a little.

*** Towards the end of the song he appears to play the wrong chords for two bars (52 and 53 in my transcription) judging by Hawa's facial expression; I have 'corrected' it, being convinced that he should have continued to play the main riff instead of the turnaround.

FORMALLY TRAINED MUSICIANS: *Expert* criticism and comments on my notation practices are welcome. In particular, the first five bars attempt to show held notes by using 2 voices in the left hand; thereafter I change to a simpler notation. What do you think? Also, it is difficult for an untrained person to notate syncopation in the best way. Do you like what you see here? I have tried to make it as easily readable as possible. But there are probably some inconsistencies of choices in beaming, note-grouping, rests, etc.