Accommodation
Four guest bedrooms suitable for international visitors are available for visiting students, allowing immersive stays within the compound while studying kora, rhythm, melody, and Mandinka musical traditions.
A Living School of Mandinka Music
Music Learned Through People
Konteh Kunda School of Music creates a place where traditional knowledge can continue to be shared through instruction, observation, practice, and participation.
Jaliyaa has never been carried through written notation alone. Its melodies, rhythms, histories, techniques, and responsibilities move between people: through families, teachers, apprentices, ceremonies, rehearsals, performances, and daily life.
At Konteh Kunda, students encounter music within the cultural and family environment from which it developed. The school connects the inherited knowledge of the Konteh griot lineage with new students, visiting musicians, researchers, and future generations.
The School’s Purpose
Preservation Through Practice
The school preserves music by keeping it active. Students listen, repeat, practise, accompany, ask questions, and gradually develop understanding through direct human exchange.
- Kora technique and musical development
- Mandinka melody, rhythm, and accompaniment
- Listening, observation, and oral transmission
- Performance within a living cultural setting
- Exchange between Gambian and international musicians
International Students Welcome
Study and Live at Konteh Kunda
Learning at Konteh Kunda extends far beyond scheduled music lessons. Students have the opportunity to stay within the Konteh family compound, experiencing daily life alongside one of The Gambia's best known griot families while focusing on Mandinka music and culture.
Airport Transfers
Airport pickup and return transportation can be arranged, making arrival and departure straightforward for international visitors.
Immersive Learning
Living within the compound allows students to experience the everyday rhythm of griot life, where learning continues through conversation, rehearsal, observation, and shared musical experiences.
All are welcome
Mafu Conteh with students
Mafu Conteh has many students who come to learn tradition and jam with a living tradition. Many learn traditional instruments and others come with their own instruments and play with the traditional songs.
Whether you are a musician, researcher, educator, or simply wish to experience Mandinka musical culture first-hand, the school welcomes enquiries from around the world.
The value of the school is found not only in the instrument lessons themselves, but also in the atmosphere around them: musicians sharing knowledge and making friendships.
A view of the Konteh Kunda School of Music and its work in Brikama, The Gambia.
Learning at Konteh Kunda
A Personal and Immersive Way to Learn
The school offers a different experience from a conventional conservatory. Learning is relationship-based, practical, and closely connected to the sound and life of the compound.
Instrument
Kora Study
Students can develop familiarity with the kora through direct demonstration, repetition, listening, and guided practice.
Musical Language
Melody and Rhythm
Lessons can explore the relationship between melodic phrases, accompaniment, timing, variation, and the rhythmic movement that gives the music life.
Context
Culture and Meaning
Students learn that the music is connected to family, ceremony, memory, social relationships, and the responsibilities traditionally carried by a jali.
Method
Learning by Listening
Careful listening and imitation remain central. Students gradually recognise patterns, phrases, transitions, and the feeling behind the performance.
Exchange
Visiting Musicians
The school can provide a meaningful setting for musicians seeking direct cultural exchange and a deeper understanding of Mandinka musical practice.
Development
Individual Progress
Learning can be shaped around the student’s experience, interests, available time, and the musicians present at the school.
Knowledge Carried Through Generations
The Konteh Kora Lineage
The school belongs to a wider family history in which musical knowledge, composition, performance, and responsibility have passed between generations.
Students encounter more than an isolated instrument. They enter a musical environment shaped by the legacy of Alhaji Bai Konte, Dembo Konteh, and the musicians who continue that lineage today, including Jali Bakary Konteh, Mafu Conteh and all those participating in sharing knowledge.
Students can share knowledge with griots of any age in the compound that are participating in the Konteh School of Music program.
Grandfather
Alhaji Bai Konte
Kora player and internationally recognised bearer of Mandinka jaliyaa.
Father
Dembo Konteh
Respected kora player whose music and teaching influenced later generations.
Son
Jali Bakary Konteh
Kora player, composer, teacher, and bearer of the family’s musical memory.
Grandson
Mafu Conteh
Kora soloist whose melodic imagination carries the music into new forms.
Study and Visit
Experience the Music in Brikama
Prospective students, musicians, educators, and researchers may enquire about visiting the school and arranging a learning experience.
A visit can provide direct contact with musicians and a deeper sense of how the music is taught, rehearsed, and lived. The most suitable arrangement will depend on the student’s goals, experience, travel dates, and the availability of teachers.
Enquiries should be made before travel. The school can then discuss current teaching possibilities, suitable timing, expected costs, accommodation considerations, and practical arrangements.
Study, Visit, or Support
Contact Konteh Kunda School of Music
Enquiries are welcome from prospective students, musicians, educators, researchers, cultural organisations, and supporters.
Include your intended travel dates, musical experience, interests, and the type of visit or collaboration you are considering.
Visit Konteh Kunda
Finding the School
Konteh Kunda School of Music is located in Brikama, The Gambia, within the historic Konteh family compound.
GPS Coordinates:
13.265821, -16.645152
Airport pickup and return transfers can be arranged for students. Please contact the school before travelling so your arrival can be coordinated.
Additional Trust
Backup Driver Moba Jassey
Alternative local transport: In the event that you are unable to reach the Konteh family and your transport is disrupted, you may contact Moba Jassey, a trusted family friend who operates a private taxi service and or can help organize a ride if you are far from him.
Moba can assist with transport to the Konteh compound or other destinations within The Gambia. He, nor his service, is formally affiliated with Konteh Kunda School of Music. Moba is known and trusted by the family.
Moba Jassey - Trusted Backup Driver - Telephone Number: +220 264 9943
A Helping Hand
Steve Pile
Konteh Kunda School of Music was made possible in large part stemming from the friendship, commitment, and practical support of people who believed that the school deserved to exist.
Steve Pile played a major role in helping that vision become a reality. After developing a friendship with Jali Bakary Konteh, Steve helped raise funds for the creation and development of the school.
His support provided the family with a dedicated place where Mandinka music could be taught, practised, recorded, and shared with future generations. The school became a home for learning within Konteh Kunda, allowing visiting students to study while living among the griots whose knowledge gives the music its depth.
Konteh Kunda School of Music honours Steve Pile as one of the people whose generosity helped transform an idea into a lasting place of education, cultural exchange, and music.