Sefo Kanuteh

Jaliyaa Kumbengo is a West African cultural experience featuring 3 core activities: Live Performance by Sefo Kanuteh & Meriya Band + guest, a participatory workshop, and a photographic exhibition exploring griot heritage and storytelling.

LIVE MUSIC, WORKSHOP & CULTURAL EXPERIENCE

Running from 6:00pm to 10:30pm, the programme is open to the general public and unfolds across multiple moments:

From 6:00pm, audiences can explore:

a pop-up photographic exhibition tracing Sefo’s artistic journey and griot lineage
a relaxed social environment within one of South London’s long-standing grassroots music & community venues
A participatory music workshop takes place from 6:30–7:30pm (additional cost, limited spaces).
The session focuses on improvisation and fusion, welcoming all levels. Around 10 koras will be available to use, and participants are encouraged to bring their own string or small percussion instruments, or simply take part through voice and rhythm.

Following a short break, the evening culminates in a live performance from 8:30–10:30pm by Sefo Kanuteh & Meriya Band featuring Jali Musa Jobarteh, blending traditional Mandinka music with contemporary influences for a vibrant and unique concert.

Rooted in the griot tradition, Jaliyaa Kumbengo positions music as a living archive, carrying memory, identity and collective knowledge across generations, while opening space for new connections through participation.