Sousou & Maher Cissoko
Together in life and music
The award-winning duo from Senegal and Sweden crosses boundaries in their music, just as they do in life. The biggest driving force is being in constant motion and meeting new people. Maher was born to play the kora, and Sousou is one of the few female kora players in the world.
Sousou & Maher Cissoko, from southern Sweden and southern Senegal, are one of the most sought-after world music artists in Sweden, and have toured in Canada, the USA, Africa, Asia and Europe, at all types of festivals, in clubs and in large arenas.
Both TV and radio in Sweden have made documentaries about the musical duo, and when Youssou N'Dour received the Polar Music Price, Sousou & Maher sang him to tears with two of his songs, which they performed together with Swedish hip hop star Timbuktu.
Both Sousou and Maher grew up in musical families, and it was their interest in and love for the West African harp, the kora, that brought them together. An essential part of playing the kora is to carry on the musical tradition by constantly finding new directions for the music. Sousou and Maher do this by combining beautiful and intricate kora playing with delightful singing, rhythmic energy and impulses from reggae, folk, soul and jazz.
In keeping with the Cissoko family's West African storytelling heritage, the most important message is that people and countries should come together and create relationships, and not create borders between them. The duo conveys this message in no less than five different languages.
-We are constantly working to develop our expression, create our own songs, open our hearts and find our own voices. Times are changing and we live in a globalized world where everything is interconnected. We want to continue to help and spread hope and love around the world!
The creative duo is also coming Førde with his brand new Yoga concept, where you can do yoga to Maher's live kora music. Sousou is also a yoga instructor!
Sousou Cissoko – guitar, kora, vocals
Maher Cissoko – kora, vocals