Senny Camara: YÉNÉ

That story began with her grandmother, who introduced her to the traditions and songs of the Serer people in Senegal. Armed with this heritage, Senny Camara began a path of increasing independence. She studied kora at the conservatory in Dakar, distancing herself from the traditional repertoire, and eventually moved to France.


At the Saint-Denis Conservatory, she embraced a wide range of string instruments – from the Celtic harp to the cello to the Brazilian cavaquinho. Despite these diverse influences – or perhaps because of them – the kora remained her central instrument: the medium through which she tells stories and unfolds her own identity.


“The album Yéné speaks of hope, of the possibility of living together, of sharing our planet in peace. A hymn to love and to humanity.”


YÉNÉ speaks of the hope that carries us through each day, and calls forth the possibility of coexistence – even when history so often seems to prove it impossible. The scars of colonial history run deep; Senny Camara’s song Thiaroye44 gives them a voice. And their consequences are painfully felt to this day. And yet: YÉNÉ!


Senny Camara comes to Ballhaus Naunynstraße, together with musician Bocar Cissokho and the kora – the instrument of storytelling, connection, and hope!