Folk Bands and Artists
Sona Jobarteh
The release of her long-awaited 2nd album Badinyaa Kuomo, voted Songlines ‘Best Album 2022’, has reinforced Sona’s standing as Africa’s first female griot kora virtuoso and exceptional composer.
Sona Jobarteh has been described as a ‘living archive’ of the Gambian people, with one ear on her family’s history and reputation, the other on the future legacy of her craft. Her live performances are both prolific and powerful. Her ability to sell out venues worldwide speak to her capacity to enthral audiences internationally while singing in her native languages and blending the traditional with the contemporary. Unusually for a kora player Sona is backed by a full band of electric guitar, bass and two percussionists, and she herself plays percussion, bass, guitar, and cello as well as kora.
Her incredible musical talent is matched only by her dedication to spreading powerful humanitarian messages through her songs and her stage performances. True to the ancient griot role of cultural leaders, Sona has singlehandedly set up The Gambia Academy, a pioneering institution dedicated to achieving educational reform across the continent of Africa. In Sona’s own words, “education in the Gambia is still a legacy of the colonial system. Why should learning the kora or djembe be extra-curricular?”
