Bao Sissoko & Afrogrooves
Line up: Bao Sissoko & Afrogrooves

Slow down and let the soothing sounds of the Kora wash over you at this intimate concert at Teatro Munganga. Senagalese kora master Bao Sissoko joins forces with members of the Amsterdam-based collective Afrogrooves to create an intimate and soothing concert with the unique instrumentation of trumpet, guitar, percussion and kora.

Born into a family of Senegalese griots, Bao Sissoko is renowned for his virtuoso playing of the kora and the calabash. He stands out as a gifted soloist with a keen sense of groove, as well as a composer.

He has performed with renowned artists such as Baaba Maal and has expanded his repertoire since settling in Belgium, collaborating with artists including Malick Pathe Sow, Zap Mama, Vaya Con Dios and Damon Albarn.
Bao has performed at prestigious venues and festivals around the world, including Roskilde, the Forde Festival, the Frankfurt Philharmonie, Bozar, Sauti Za Busari in Zanzibar and the Rainforest Festival in Borneo.

He is a member of the group Tamala (“Travellers”), a Belgian-Senegalese quartet that explores the infinite possibilities of the encounter between tradition and innovation, and between the instruments and musical worlds of its musicians. Tamala won the ‘Best World Album’ awards at the Klara Awards and the ‘Octaves de la musique’ for their debut album in 2017, as well as the ‘Best Album’ award at the 2025 Belgian Worldwide Music Awards for their third album, Diboli.
Bao is also a member of the Auster Loo collective and takes part in numerous musical projects in Belgium and abroad.

Afrogrooves is building an Amsterdam-based cultural movement where Afrobeat music, multicultural diasporas and local communities converge. Through concerts, jamsessions, workshops, and community projects, we weave together distinctive narratives regarding identity, social justice, and the colonial past.

Especially in times of polarization, we believe that music can create space for connection, empathy, and collective imagination.

Afrogrooves started in 2018 as an informal jam session. It quickly distinguished itself as one of the more unique and frequented sessions in the crowded Amsterdam scene because of the large 8-person strong house band, full of tight horn lines and rhythmically driving percussion, and its diverse and welcoming community.

In addition to hosting monthly jamsessions, Afrogrooves has established itself as a platform for emerging artists, a place for musical development and experimentation, and a vehicle for learning and acting on the activist and decolonial history of arts and music. See afrogroovesmusic.com for more.