Wassa Kouyaté is a courageous artist who embodies the true essence of the Mande Griot with her music. She was born into a griot family in Sikasso, Mali, and is a virtuoso kora and piano player. Women are usually forbidden to play the kora and are often assigned the task of singing or accompanying themselves with simpler percussion instruments and shakers, while the men play the main instruments (ngoni, balafon, kora, modern guitars and wind instruments). Their impressive collaborations include a performance with Fatoumata Diawara and Eve Risser as part of the Kogoba Bassigui project in France.