Two years ago Sona Jobarteh took The Dakota stage and filled the house, her kora-playing bouncing off the walls. Her renown has only increased since then. This time around, Jobarteh and band will perform at the Ordway in St. Paul, which more than triples the seating capacity.
While the venues are getting bigger, Jobarteh is still focused on playing the kora in a field replete with men and serving as a role model for other girls and young women who also desire to learn the kora. But Jobarteh’s inclusivity doesn’t stop with gender roles. She also welcomes both male and female non-griots, those who were not born into a griot family, to play the kora.
Mshale spoke with Jobarteh in 2023 at length. She explained the idea behind griot. “There has been so much literature regarding the term griot [that] it’s now…widely recognized by international communities,” she said.
Griot comes from West Africa and carries the mantle of historian, storyteller, and musician. Through the kora and through singing, oral histories are passed down. About Jobarteh’s academy in the Gambia, she said, “I have non-griot students studying griot instruments, but traditionally speaking, this instrument belongs to the griots and the culture is still very strong to this day that if you are seen playing kora, you are presumed to be a griot.”
Jobarteh, a breaker of traditions simply by playing the kora, is fired up to create change. She said, “So the traditions are starting to change, starting to evolve and these are things that I really want to encourage because I strongly believe—these changes are in respect of what has gone before. Understand what went before. What is important is understanding society now is no longer the same as the society in the 1300s or the 1500s. And the roles of women [are] changing just as the role of non-griot people, families, is also changing because society changes.”
Show presenter, The Dakota, has aligned itself with Jobarteh’s goals of supporting girls and women. For every ticket purchased, $3 will be donated to Global Rights for Women.
Additionally, St. Paul-based Books for Africa will have a vendor table in the Ordway’s lobby. Jobarteh’s academy received books from Books for Africa as part of their ongoing Million Books for Gambia project. Books for Africa will be sending more books in a few weeks to the school (Mshale founder and publisher Tom Gitaa is a past president of the Books for Africa board).
Tickets for the March 31st 7:30 pm show are available here. Use the code GRW3 at checkout to ensure a donation to Global Rights for Women.
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About Susan Budig
Susan is based in Minneapolis and reports on general assignments for Mshale with a focus on entertainment. In addition to reporting, she is also a writer, poet, teacher and coach.
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