Singer, songwriter, composer Kora virtuoso Sona Jobarteh visits with host John Floridis on this edition of Musician's Spotlight.
Sona is a master of the Kora, a harp like instrument from her native country The Gambia. She is the first woman to master the Kora, as she comes from a long and deep history of the Griot people in which the knowledge and music of the instrument is passed down through males in the families.
Sona's story is remarkable and inspiring. Trained in Western classical music as well as music from her native country, she was inspired during her conservatory days by a Kora hanging on a wall as a decoration only to find out it had been her father's decades ago. In addition to her remarkable musical journey Sona also started The Gambia Academy the first institution in that country to educate young Africans in their culture, traditions and history alongside everyday academic education.
