Rendez-Vous
Live video (duo)
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- country:Senegal
- region:West Africa
- style(s):Afro-Soul, Manding
- label:Ajabu!
- type:Band, Composer/Songwriter, Small Ensemble, Duo, Trio, Quartet, Quintet
- instrumentation:instrumental, vocal, percussion, singer songwriter, jazz combo, dance orchestra, unplugged, guitar
- artist contact:Jaliya Connection
Line up
- Felisia Westberg/Stefan Bergman (bass)
- Maher Cissoko (kora, singing)
- Måns Block (Drums)
- Pape Samory Seck (Percussion)
- Sousou Cissoko (guitar, kora, singing)
Sousou & Maher Cissoko are an award-winning Senegalese-Swedish duo whose music brings together the West African kora and Mandinka griot tradition with songwriting, contemporary folk, soul and influences from their lives between Sweden and Senegal.
For more than 20 years, Sousou and Maher have developed a distinctive musical language built around two koras, voices, rhythm and storytelling. Together they have performed in around 40 countries across Europe, Africa, Asia and North America, appearing at festivals and venues including Festival d’été de Québec, Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Shanghai World Music Festival, Gwangju World Music Festival, Sauti za Busara, BaliSpirit Festival and The Kennedy Center.
Over the years, Sousou & Maher have shared stages and collaborated with artists across genres and continents. Highlights include performing at the Polar Music Prize in honour of Youssou N’Dour, touring with Swedish artist Laleh, and appearing alongside artists such as Amadou & Mariam and Toumani Diabaté.
Their concerts move between intimate acoustic storytelling, virtuosic kora interplay, soulful singing and powerful rhythmic passages, with a strong sense of connection and communication with the audience. They perform both as a duo and with band for larger stages, and also offer workshops and encounters around kora, music, storytelling and the living griot tradition.
Sousou & Maher have received several awards and distinctions for their music, including the Swedish Manifest Award. Their recordings have been released internationally through ARC Music, Ajabu! and their own label Jaliya Records.
Their work is rooted in the living Cissoko griot tradition while continuously exploring new musical expressions, collaborations and ways of creating dialogue across cultures.
They are currently recording their forthcoming album Bimoya and developing new touring and collaborative projects for 2027 and beyond.
Based in Lund, Sweden, with strong artistic and family roots in Casamance, Senegal.
For bookings and collaborations:
Jaliya Connection
MTA Production
Songs
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