Bilgho Akaramata Kora, also known as Bil Aka Kora (born April 25, 1971, Pô,

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...

) is a musician.Romba, C. (2006, January 30). Bil Aka Kora, artiste musician. Le Faso.net (2006). Retrieved May 18, 2007 from He was one of the 17 children of Mahama and Teoura Bilgho. He is married to Astride, and is the father of Korane Prisca. Bil Aka Kora's sound draws upon traditional music from the language, instruments, rhythm and themes of the south of Burkina Faso.

Early life

While in high school, Kora joined a band called "les Missiles" where learned to play the guitar under the instruction of a Ghanaian called Salah Ben. Bil Aka Kora went to university to study math and physics, but was forced to drop out after his second year because he had neither the funds nor a scholarship to continue his studies. He then turned to music to earn a living. He began playing full-time in bars and nightclubs. In 1997, the Cultural Minister of

, Mahamoudou Ouedraogo, initiated "Les Grands Prix Nationaux de la Musique" (National Grand Prizes of Music), which is a national competition for Burkinabé musicians. Winning the first place at this competition with another musician, Kanzai, encouraged Bil Aka Kora to keep developing his musical talent.

Career

Bil Aka Kora was seen playing live on the TV shows ''La Nuit du Communicateur'' (Communicator's Night) and ''Prix Galian'' (Galian Prize). He recorded his first album, '' Douatou'', in December 1998. He was the musical director of several film documentaries and movies soundtracks during the 18th edition of

FESPACO The Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (Festival panafricain du cinéma et de la télévision de Ouagadougou or FESPACO) is a film festival in Burkina Faso, held biennially in Ouagadougou, where the organization is based. It ...

. In 2004, he played the role of the musician in the movie ''Sofia'' from director

Aboubacar Diallo Aboubacar Diallo (born 12 January 1976) is a Guinean boxer. He competed in the men's light welterweight event at the 1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 an ...

, and composed the movie soundtrack. Kora owns a production studio called Djongo Diffusion. Bil Aka Kora declares that his purpose with the studio is to help young people who want to become musicians, even if they are not performing Djongo music.

Special musical style

Bil Aka Kora's version of Djongo is a fusion of Kassena and modern musical styles such as

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

, and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

.Bangre, H. (2005, May 3). Bil Aka Kora remporte un Kunde d'or. Afrik.Com (2005). Retrieved May 24, 2007 from http://www.afrik.com/article8351.html Djongo was originally the traditional music of the Gourounsi or

Kassena The Kassena people are an ethnic group located along the northern Ghana and Burkina Faso border. They speak the Kasem language. Their king lives in the town of Tiébélé. The Kasenna are closely related to the people of Nankanni and were brough ...

(ethnic groups in the south of Burkina Faso), produced with a lot percussion instruments such as

bendre Bendre is an Indian surname native to the state of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Goa. Typically it is found in the Marathi Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP), Chitpavan Brahmin and Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin (DRB) communities. Notable people with ...

, lunga,

djembe A djembe or jembe ( ; from Maninka language, Malinke ''jembe'' , N'Ko script, N'Ko: ) is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

and

flutes The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

. Djongo is traditionally a dance of rivalry, vitality, strength and energy that Kassena men dance to impress and seduce girls or before going to war.Bationo, A. F. (2004, September 14). Bil Aka Kora: Le roi de la djongo musique. Le Faso.net (2004). Retrieved May 18, 2007 from Emmanuel. (2006, May 8). Bil Aka Kora. Ouaga-ca-bouge.net (2006). Retrieved May 24, 2007 from http://www.ouaga-ca-bouge.net/Bil-Aka-Kora.htlm Kora modernized Djongo and made it into a musical style appreciated throughout Burkina Faso, even though the lyrics are in

, a language spoken by only 1% of the population.

Global tours

Bil Aka Kora has traveled to

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

as well as many African countries like

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

and

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

. Travelling has enabled him to meet and exchange with others artists, like the Austrian musician

Hubert von Goisern Hubert von Goisern (born Hubert Achleitner, 17 November 1952) is an Austrian singer-songwriter and world musician. With his mix of rock music and elements of traditional Volksmusik he has become a prominent exponent of the so-called New Volksmus ...

and the Canadian mixer Gerald La Roche.

Nominations and achievements

* He has won the Gold Kunde twice in 2000 and 2005. * His video Dibayagui was selected the most beautiful in 2005 by the Burkinabe for the TV show, ''Clip d'or''. Kora says he owes his musical success to the support of his wife Astride, and his group, the Djongo System.

Discography

Bil Aka Kora recorded three albums. Most of his music has themes of social issues. His first album, '' Douatou'' ("Rain Maker") (1999), talks about the rain, a metaphor for the political issues of Burkina Faso. In his song " Wematou" ("God is My Father") he explains how society criticizes single moms and their children, but takes no fault with single dads and their children. His second album, '' Ambolou'' ("What is Worthy for Me" ) (2001), has been called an album of maturity. His most recent album is '' Dibayagui'' (2004). In this album, the song "Dibayagui" is for the Kassena warriors.

Future plans

Kora hopes to become more famous both in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

and internationally. He hopes to win the KORA, a musical festival in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. The KORA rewards talented African and African Diaspora musicians.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kora, Bil Aka Burkinabé musicians 1971 births Living people People from Centre-Sud Region 21st-century Burkinabé people