Boka's Bio
Born into a Griot tradition, the son of Djely Nounke Kouyaté who was a guitarist, ballaphonist and a traditional storyteller. His mother Djéné Dioubate is also a Djely popular singer in Guinea.
From ceremony to ceremony every day, Boka strapped to his mother’s back as a child, is when he began singing with his mom at a young age. His father with the Ballaphone and stories within their tradition directed Boka’s first musical education. Soon after he attended French School for many years and this is when he began writing his own songs.
As a young Djely in tradition, he became a student of Science and completed his Microbiology degree from the University of Kankan in 2010. In 2008, gaining citywide recognition as the General Director of the national performance company called Gnankoumandoua who preserves their Ancestral path.
With his voice and the Djembe drum, Boka toured throughout West Africa with a lot of Guinea famous artists, such as; Requins De Ballakala from 2000 to 2014.
Moving to the United States in early 2014, Multi-talented Djely Boka Kouyaté Co-founded Kouyaté Arts, an inter-active Performance Company of drummers, dancers and singers, and he is the Lead vocalist and composer of the Djeliyah Band, creatively connecting a fusion of Traditional Djely music to the world.
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He teaches and composes his original music, as well as; traditional Djembe, Ballaphone rhythms, and songs from Guinea.
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