Her instrument was the preserve of men for hundreds of years, but the Gambian musician wasn’t fazed. She explains why she ripped up the rules – and is now remodelling African education. In west Africa’s griot tradition, it’s men who play instruments while women sing. But Sona Jobarteh was determined[Read More…]
Tag: Kora
Sona Jobarteh Makes History As A Woman Griot And Kora Player
The Gambian-British musician is the first professional woman kora player from one of the five principal kora-playing griot families from West Africa. The kora, a harp-like instrument, has been passed down for centuries among West African musical storytelling families, called griots. For much of that time, West African custom only[Read More…]
A Celebrated Virtuoso On An Instrument She Wasn’t Meant To Play
Manchester, England — When Sona Jobarteh, one of The Gambian’s most famous musicians, plucks the strings with his index finger and thumb, the airy sound of the centuries-old West African instrument Kora echoes. rice field. Under the purple stage lights of the Manchester International Festival in July — her first[Read More…]
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