Yahaya Kabore is a musician, artist, artisan, and proud son of the West African nation of Burkina Faso. Born in the capital of Ouagadougou, Yahaya gained his musical education thanks to master musician Dami Dabire, who saw his potential and took him under his wing. Through a four-year training course, Yahaya studied performance on many instruments, such as djembe, doundoun, balafon, kora, and n’goni, as well as how to make these traditional instruments.
Yahaya Kabore is a child of Burkina Faso; a musician, artist, and artisan, skilled in performing, teaching, and making musical instruments and handcrafts. Born in the capital Ouagadougou, Yahaya started his music education in elementary school thanks to master musician Dami Dabire who came to give classes in djembe and doumdou. Dabire saw Yahaya’s potential and directed him to a four-year training course. Every morning, he learned how to make the traditional musical instruments of his homeland, and the rest of the day was dedicated to learning, practicing, and performing percussion.
After obtaining his certificate, Yahaya worked for the Museum of Music in both Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioullaso and was regularly sent as a cultural ambassador to other countries, performing music in Ghana, Senegal, Togo, Benin, Niger, France, Italy, and Spain.
Yahaya founded L’Association des Jeunes pour le Développement de l’Artisanat (Youth Association for Craft Development) in Ouagadougou in 2010 to bring together the local artisans, who share the knowledge of making musical instruments with the young people. AJDA is going strong today, selling instruments throughout West Africa and the USA.
Since moving to America, Yahaya has been happy to connect and perform with other Burkinabe musicians and dancers, such as Kaberic and Queen Tifa, sharing the Waraba rhythms of the Mossi Plateau. He has also performed with opera singer Leah Hawkins at Lincoln Center, brought his traditional troupe to the United Nations, and the Embassy of Burkina Faso in Washington DC.
Yahaya says “Burkina Faso, my country, has 63 different ethnicities and languages, all with their own music. I am thrilled that people like these rhythms and dances, so I share them with anyone who is motivated to learn the traditional music of the Burkina Faso Mossi Plateau. I invite you to come out with your instrument on July 14 in New Jersey. We will sample well on the rhythm Waraba, and you can speak and sing with your instrument. I thank you in advance.”