Sorie Kondi

About

Sorie Kondi is a blind musician from Sierra Leone who creates music that's a clear reflection of the difficult life he has led. Raised in a country that consistently ranks in the top three poorest countries in the world, with a low life expectancy and a high infant mortality rate, Sorie Kondi didn't have it easy as a child. After picking up and playing a finger drum--a traditional instrument of Sierra Leone--as a teenager, though, it was quickly made apparent he had an inherent knack for music. Sorie Kondi recorded his first LP in 1998, but after rebels staged a brutal riot in the town he was recording the LP in, the master tapes of his recordings were lost. Having abandoned nearly any sort of hopes of recording an album again, Sorie Kondi took to the streets to play his music, where he was noticed by an English music producer who offered to record the talented musician from Sierra Leone. Sorie Kondi would eventually release an album in 2007, which would go on to be received rather well by critics. Unfortunately, however, it did not sell well, and the blind musician still lives a life of dire poverty in Sierra Leone.