Born in Ziguinchor in Southern Senegal, Vieux Cissokho's work carries the lineage of his kinsfolk, whose music and stories are passed through the generations from parent to child. Destined from a young age to play the kora, Vieux was raised in a family of kora players with the sounds, songs, and stories of his instrument.
Vieux shared, “In my culture, musicians are messengers and healers. I use my music to bring people together. One day someone told me, ‘When you are performing, I couldn't stop looking at your smiling face.’ I said to him, ‘That is the happiness from my heart that I cannot stop smiling.’”
