Sousou & Maher Cissoko (Senegal/Sweden)

Maher Cissoko was born to be a kora player, part of a great griot family in Casamance, Senegal that has seen the art of kora playing passed down from generation to generation for more than 700 years. Maher embraced, then embellished, that tradition, developing his own explosive and danceable style of playing.

Brought up in a musical family, Sousou is a singer from Sweden who studied classical and Swedish folk music before falling in love with the kora when her father started playing with the Gambian griot Alagie Mbye in the early 1990s. She is one of the few female kora players in the world. It was when she was invited to Senegal to learn their playing style by Maher’s older brother Solo that she met Maher, and they became both musical and life partners.

Together, this Swedish/Senegalese couple share a destiny shaped by music, combining a variety of styles, and influences taken from their diverse backgrounds and travels to create something of their own. Their sound mixes traditional West African music with mbalax, reggae, Swedish folk, soul, and a pinch of hip hop. Their overlying message is one of peace and love and a stop to endless war, often dealing with hard-hitting subjects such as poverty, immigration and being away from family in their songs.

On a unique voyage of cultures, rhythms, melodies, and movements, the Cissokos welcome you to join them on their global travels.