Mbye Ebrima

Mbye Ebrima is a Gambian kora player, singer, composer, and historian based in Portugal. He is currently one of the best kora players in the Gambia. He is also an oral historian who tells history in a weekly national radio program.

At age 16 he went to visit his father in Surkunda and he decided to move there, to spend some time with him. It was there that one day he decided to try to play kora and asked one of his father's students to teach him one song. From then on he has never stopped. He was spending whole days practicing, rapidly evolving and surprising his family and friends.

A few months later he began to accompany his stepmother, a djélimusso, at her singing actuations. He began to be known and considered a good player. Sometimes he did duets with his father or even trios with his father and his brother.
At 22 he began to teach. When his father was traveling, he used to give lessons to his father's students.

At the same time, along with his friends, he created the group called Mama Africa. They played Afro-mandingue music with a very specific groove, which attracted the audience, not only in The Gambia.

He was also a part of the Kora Symphony group, created by the Gambian President, which consisted of 30 kora players. He was one of the six fixed group members and several times he was the soloist of the group. The Kora Symphony performs in various official ceremonies.