David Ige Oluseyi is a talented kora player that I met and recorded in The Gambia several years ago while working on a curricular song project for Freedom to Lead International. The kora is a hauntingly beautiful 21-string lute found in West Africa (the guitar is also a lute). The kora is an instrument commonly played by griots (gree-ohs). Griots were the traditional keepers of tribal history who served the ruling kings by singing the kingdom’s history in general and the great exploits of the king in particular. Traditionally, the griot tradition was passed on exclusively through family lines but in modern times talented artists from outside these griot families have embraced the tradition as well.
I must admit that I don’t know if David comes from a family of griots or not, but regardless, as an Christian artist David embraces the griot tradition for praising God as King and singing the greatness of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
In the recording below, David tells a little bit about how the kora is played as he presents the worship song, “You Are God, That is Your Name.”
Mary Lu and I are looking forward to meet up with David in July 2020 at GCoMM (Global Conference on Music and Missions) in Dallas, TX.
Enjoy!