SOAS Concert Series - On the Stage: Wiyaala

Live recording of Soas Concert Series' first performance of the academic year: Wiyaala 19th Oct 2018. Produced by Sophie Darling Wiyaala, which means “the doer” in her local Sissala dialect, is from Funsi, a village in the upper West region of Ghana, close to the borders of Burkina Faso and Cote D’Ivoire. Her music is a potent fusion of West African folk songs and stadium Afro-pop, informed by her personal interpretation of traditional West African mythology and storytelling. Despite growing up in a patriarchal society that can be hostile to artistic growth, Wiyaala has emerged as one of Ghana’s leading international touring artists, performing at events and festivals all over the world, including at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia and WOMAD (UK).