16/06/2025
Press Release: Telem x CRIBS Bring Sounds of Sierra Leone
to the Berklee Gnaoua and World Music Festival
Telem Uncommon Sounds and CRIBS International are excited to announce their participation at the
Berklee Gnaoua and World Music Festival in Essaouira, Morocco, from Monday, June 16 to Saturday,
June 21, 2025. This prestigious program offers a unique five-day opportunity for musicians to elevate their
skills and connect through a global musical language.
Six artists from Sierra Leone — Boimanya Koroma (Boii), Donald Leigh (Donii Major), Rebecca Jawara,
Sam Nabieu Sandi, Charles Bah, and Kate Krontiris — will join this program to immerse themselves in a
rigorous program of ensemble sessions, special lectures, musicianship classes, and continuous
performances, exploring various grooves, rhythmic concepts, harmony, and improvisational approaches.
Zo Studio photographer Olu Smith will be embedded with the A3 Communications visuals team for the
duration of the program and festival. The program will culminate in a concert for participants, immediately
leading into the 26th Annual Gnaoua and World Music Festival, the oldest music festival in Africa.
Sierra Leone, with its rich cultural heritage, is home to a diverse range of musical traditions and
influences. From the rhythms of traditional genres like Bubu, Gumbe, and Palm Wine music to the
harmonies of contemporary genres such as Afrobeat, reggae, and gospel, Sierra Leone’s music is an
essential aspect of its identity. Music plays a vital role in the cultural expression, storytelling, and social
unity of the country, serving as a powerful tool for communication and reflection. Despite this vibrant
musical legacy, Sierra Leonean music remains underrepresented on the global stage.
To address this, the Telem and CRIBS artists will be offering an educational workshop at the
Gnaoua and World Music Festival that showcases the breadth and depth of Sierra Leone’s
musical landscape. This workshop will provide both local and international participants with an
opportunity to explore, appreciate, and learn about the various genres, instruments, and cultural
significance of music from Sierra Leone. The goal of this workshop is to foster a deeper understanding of
Sierra Leonean music, its historical roots, and its evolution through contemporary sounds.
“We are excited to have an even larger contingent of Sierra Leonean artists back at the program for the
second year in a row,
" said Jason Camelio, Assistant Vice President of Global Initiatives at Berklee
College of Music.
“Their participation underscores Berklee’s mission to bridge cultures and bring together
musicians from different backgrounds to learn and create together.”
“One of our goals as an organization has been to ensure that there are more viable opportunities for
Sierra Leonean musicians to make, perform, and share experimental music that is still locally rooted,”
said Rosaline Iyabode Johnson, a co-founder of Telem Uncommon Sounds,
“And that more SierraLeonean musicians are sharing this music in global music channels, performance stages, and cultural
influencing roles. Sharing the classroom and the stage with fellow professional musicians from around
the world at the Berklee Gnaoua and World Music Festival will directly contribute to this goal.”
About Berklee Gnaoua and World Music Festival
The Berklee Gnaoua and World Music Festival program creates an opportunity for aspiring musicians
from Morocco, Africa and across the globe who demonstrate artistic and musical potential to immerse
themselves in a rewarding learning experience taught by Berklee’s most recognized artists and
educators. Over 400 artists will set fire to the Festival’s stages for 3 days of massive celebration from
Essaouira’s medina to the beach. Like every year, the Gnaoua Maâlems and their guests from all corners
of the planet will create unprecedented fusions, which have become the trademark of the Festival,
dancing to rhythms from Spain, Senegal, the US, Ivory Coast, Brazil, Algeria, Palestine, and more.
About Telem Uncommon Sounds
Telem Uncommon Sounds launched in 2021 to nurture a more open and experimental creative
community in Freetown, Sierra Leone. We seek to bring about a brilliant new era in music in Sierra
Leone, so that there are more viable opportunities for Sierra Leonean musicians to make, perform, and
share experimental music that is still locally rooted; and more Sierra Leonean musicians are sharing this
music in global music channels, performance stages, and cultural influencing roles. Founded by local
singer-songwriters and working with a team of extended musicians and performing artists, Telem offers
training in songwriting and music production, stages concerts and other live events, and works to develop
a vibrant Sierra Leone music ecosystem. The global culture craves what Africa has to offer, and Telem
continues to put Sierra Leonean musicians at the forefront of that demand.
About CRIBS International
Cribs international is a one-stop shop multimedia and entertainment company based in Sierra Leone
which stages, produces, and manages content and projects across the Mano River Union. With services
including live concerts and virtual events; documentaries, movies, and music videos; advertorials and
social media PR; and event management and production; CRIBS International redefines, creates, and
Implements its vision for a world-class entertainment sector.
Contact
To learn more about these events, please contact:
Kate Krontiris
Telem Uncommon Sounds
+232 78 991991
[email protected]
The Office of Global Programs and Partnerships
Berklee College of Music
2+1 617-747-2700
[email protected]
