Sona Jobarteh

BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity (130 Pine St., Northampton, MA 01062)

Photo By Lynne Graves
Entertainment + Music
Born into a griot family from The Gambia that includes her legendary cousin, Toumani Diabaté, Sona Jobarteh is the first woman within the tradition to become a professional virtuoso on the kora, a West African stringed instrument. Effortlessly blending different musical styles, Jobarteh and her electric Afropop band play songs about cultural identity, gender, education, love, and respect.