Africa-Press – Gambia. With hearts heavy yet full of gratitude, we pay tribute to a son of the soil, a beacon of heritage, and a revered griot — the late Jali Foday Susso. His passing is not only a great personal loss to his family, friends, and disciples but a profound and irreplaceable void in the cultural and spiritual soul of The Gambia and the greater Manding world.
Born into a noble lineage of griots, Jali Foday Susso was destined to be a master of the Kora, the 21-stringed harp-lute that is not merely an instrument but a vessel of history, wisdom, and ancestral memory. From an early age, he showed not just remarkable skill but reverence for the art, treating the Kora not only as a musical tool but as a sacred bridge between generations, between continents, between the spoken and the divine.
In his lifetime, Jali Foday Susso transcended boundaries. He became a cultural ambassador par excellence, carrying with him the soul of Manding music to audiences across Europe, North America, and beyond. From grand concert halls to intimate cultural gatherings, he mesmerised and educated audiences, always grounded in the elegance of his heritage. With every note played, every story sung, he told the world who we are as a people — proud, dignified, resilient, and poetic.
Jali Foday was more than a musician, he was a living archive, a teacher, and a symbol of continuity in a rapidly changing world. He collaborated with renowned artists globally, enriching world music with Gambian authenticity, yet he never strayed from the core values of his tradition. He inspired a new generation of Kora players, instilling in them the essence of humility, storytelling, and respect that underpin the Manding griot tradition.
His loss is a thunderous silence, a melody unfinished, a voice now carried only by the wind and memory. Gambia has lost a cultural titan; Manding has lost one of its most cherished voices.
As we mourn, we also celebrate. We celebrate a life steeped in purpose and service, not to power or profit, but to the preservation of identity and truth. The world is better for having heard his music, and our future richer because of the legacy he leaves behind.
We pray to Allah, the most merciful and compassionate, to forgive his shortcomings and grant him eternal peace. May his noble soul find rest in Jannatul Firdawse, the highest station in Paradise. May the angels welcome him with the music of heaven, and may his memory forever echo through the strings of every kora played with heart.
Rest well, Jali Foday Susso. The Gambia remembers. Manding remembers. History remembers.
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