Music was as essential as air for those living in the west African country of Mali. Then the Islamist militants flooded in and banned music, choking off an integral part of Mali’s culture.

Instruments were burned, radio stations were ripped apart and musicians were tortured. The feature-length documentary, “They Will Have to Kill Us First: Malian Music in Exile” shows what life was like when jihadists tried to stop the music. It opens this weekend in New York at the Village East Cinema … Read more ...