THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Sona Jobarteh performed to a packed hall of music lovers at the Berlin Philharmonic on Thursday — and she did not disappoint.
The queen of kora delivered an electrifying performance that transformed the evening into a celebration of African music. The audience was fully engaged, singing along, echoing her choruses and many abandoning their seats to dance for most of the two-hour concert. From the outset, she set the tone: “Music,” she said, “is a conversation, not a monologue.” And the night was nothing short of a dialogue — intimate, lively and moving.
Before each piece, Jobarteh offered a glimpse into its story — its inspiration, its cultural weight, its emotional roots. These introductions gave the audience not only context but connection. They weren’t just listeners; they became part of the music’s emotional journey.
She paid heartfelt tribute to her father, her late grandmother and to women, among others, weaving these personal stories into her melodies and lending them a broader social meaning. She also used the moment to speak on responsibility — reminding all that we owe something to our communities, to our societies.
Her music swung between the high energy of dance-inducing rhythms and quieter, introspective moments that invited reflection. The performance was a powerful showcase of the kora’s versatility — and of Jobarteh’s masterful command of it.
But Sona Jobarteh is more than a gifted musician. She is also a committed educational activist. A decade ago, she founded the Gambia Academy, driven by her belief that Africa’s education systems must be reformed. For her, these systems remain entangled in colonial legacies — designed not to empower, but to devalue African identity and culture. Decades after independence, these mental chains, she argues, still bind the continent’s future.
The Gambia Academy was born of her desire to break that cycle — to educate young Gambians to be conscious of who they are and where they have come from. For Jobarteh, true education does not require abandoning one’s roots. “You can be educated and still be African at the same time,” she insists.
Sona Jobarteh doesn’t just play the kora — she gives it voice.
Femi Awoniyi
