Entering 2018 on a musical high, Sona Jobarteh opened the New Year with the official launching of the Global Fundraising & Strategic Partnership Campaign for the ABJ Cultural Academy New Campus Build Out, which will be located in Kartong, South Gambia.
According to reports, this new build-out is a continuation of her Amadu Bansang Jobarteh School of Music established in 2015.
The new cultural academy’s build-out plans are now in the development phase with architectural drawings and site-preparations.
The new campus will be designed to serve as a centre for Gambians and international students to study African culture.
They will be departments for dance, agriculture, music, film and multimedia studies. Additionally, the new campus will have accommodations for non-local volunteers and staff.
They are on the verge of setting up a new website that can take donations directly via Paypal where patrons can also sign up for auto-renewal monthly donations at their own specified amounts.
Sona Jobarteh is the first distinguished female kora player to come from the prestigious West African griot family. She is a modern day pioneer in an ancient, male-dominated hereditary tradition that has been exclusively handed down from father to son for at least the past seven centuries.
Also a social activist, lecturer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, Sona is one of the most exciting new talents from the West African griot tradition to hit the stage in recent years.
Sona represents her tradition in a way that is easily accessible to her audiences from around the world, who are drawn by her captivating voice, strong rhythms and catchy melodies.
