Suntou Susso

Playing an intimate gig at the vale ahead of this summer's festival dates, Suntou Susso is a multi-instrumentalist: kora player, percussionist, singer and composer from The Gambia.

Born a griot (an African storyteller and musician) in a 700-year old tradition, the kora – harp-lute with 22 strings – is unique to the griots of the Mandinka people. Griots have a unique societal role as oral historians, transmitting and preserving a people’s culture through the generations in song, music and poetry.

Suntou has played the festival circuit including WOMAD, Shambala, Wilderness Festival, Hay Festival, Beyond the Border and more.

Suntou’s family includes some of the world’s most well-respected West African musicians, including Seckou Keita, Solo Cissokho and Sura and Mamudou Susso.