La Nuit de la Kora with Toumany Kouyaté and Zal Sissokho

Each year, Festival International Nuits d’Afrique’s flagship event, Nuit de la kora, features the humble custodians of Mandinka culture who are also virtuosos of the larger-than-life kora.

Zal Sissokho is one of the most endearing artists of Montreal’s world music scene. With a genuine smile that lights up his eyes and spreads all the way down to his magical finger tips, this griot knows how to bring people together. Nominated for the Gala Dynastie 2025 “World Music Artist or Group of the Year,” this artist doesn’t fear to stray off the beaten path and likes to merge his reality with the kora’s cultural heritage.

Kora master Toumany Kouyaté has performed in the Cirque du Soleil show “O,” seen by over 20 million people since its creation in Las Vegas in 1998. Like Zal Sissokho, he descends from a long line of griots, perpetuating the age-old Senegalese traditions by deftly plucking the 21 strings of his majestic and mesmerizing instrument.