Zena, from Oakland, is a singer songwriter, visual artist, storyteller – and one of the few women masters of the kora – a West African harp – taught directly by Malian kora master, Toumani Diabate. She blends West African music with American Delta Blues and Appalachian tunes, to create what she calls "Afrofolk." Zena came to our studios - kora in hand- to tell KALW's Hana Baba about her story of migration and music.
"I woke up in the middle of the night and just knew I was supposed to play and I had to play. Within a few weeks, I found a teacher and within a few months, I went to Gambia to study."
You can hear Zena perform live on September 25th at the Starline Social Club in Oakland.
