Kickstarter

Sorie Kondi is a virtuosic blind folk musician from the small West African country of Sierra Leone. He sings and plays the Sierra Leonean version of a thumb piano called the Kondi. This tool is so close to him that he has take it as his last name.

His daily busking on the streets of Freetown, has made him familiar to many residents in Sierra Leone's capital city. But Sorie Kondi's popularity has not been able to bring him out of the grinding poverty that many of the country's citizens experience. He currently lives in a one room shack in the notorious Destruction Bay slum. In 2010, his daily struggle for survival, the reality of poverty, and the struggle to raise school fees for his children was chronicled in a short BBC documentary.

Sorie Kondi has recently been invited to the 2012 South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas. This opportunity has the potential to initiate a life changing international music career for the humble yet talented musician. One can imagine that the cost involved for him to attend a conference in the U.S. is extremely prohibitive. That's why we're asking for your help to raise the funds to get Sorie Kondi to South by Southwest. We feel that the exposure he would  gain at such an event will open the door for further opportunities in the U.S. and Europe, and facilitate collaborations with artists based in these locations. 

We're trying to raise the amount of $4000 to help  cover plane tickets, Visa fees, and internal travel costs for Sorie Kondi, his caretaker, and an accompanying musician. With your help, we will be able to expose the amazing talents of Sorie Kondi to the world!