Open Groove Jam Session

​FREE STYLE JAM SESSION

​A celebration of music without boundaries. Open jam session — all musical styles welcome

​Come and give your instrument a voice

​Facilitators; Márcio Pinto aka Magupi and Nuno Ferreira

​Opening performance featuring a special guest ;

​Braima Galissá: Master Kora Griot and Ambassador of Mandinka Culture

A teacher and master griot of the kora—a 22-string African instrument—he was born in Guinea-Bissau in 1964 into a family of Mandinka griots who have played the kora for over 600 years.
He began learning the kora in the mid-1970s under his father's tutelage. Today, he is considered one of the finest musical representatives of Mandinka culture, acclaimed for his exceptional skill as a kora player.
He served as a composer and director for the National Ballet of Guinea-Bissau and taught the kora at the José Carlos Schwarz National School of Music for 11 years.
He has resided in Lisbon since 1998. In recent years, he has conducted courses for students at the Lisbon School of Education (ESELx) and the Lisbon Theatre and Film School (ESTC) covering Guinean music, literature, and culture. He has collaborated with the Teatro São João in Porto and appeared on radio and television programs, including those on Antena 2, RTP Internacional, Rádio Renascença, RTA (Radio Television of Angola), and RDP África.
He has performed in concerts organized as part of EXPO98 and Porto 2001, and has contributed to recordings by João Afonso, Amélia Muje, Herménio Meno, the "Mon na mon" compilation, Blasted Mechanism, Chac, Sara Tavares, and other artists.