Sona Jobarteh GAMBIA

Performance 25 june 2022 Sona Jobarteh is not only a fantastic singer, but also the first female virtuoso on the kora, the traditional West African string instrument with the distinctive sparkling sound. That makes her a pioneer in a tradition that has been passed on only from father to son for the past seven centuries. In this tradition of griots, troubadours, it forms a living archive of the Gambian people. With one ear to the family s historic reputation, one to its future legacy, and her heart in both places, she is preparing a place today for the next generation. Jobarteh studied at the London Conservatory and then returned to Africa. This is how her eclectic mix of blues, afropop and traditional music was born.