Kocassale Dioubate , from the Mandingo tribe of Guinea, West Africa, is a descendant of his
tribe’s ‘ djeliba’ (also known as griots) : traditional story-tellers, entertainers, musicians, praise
singers, counselors, and mediators: those who keep and preserve the tribe’s oral history and
tradition.
Koca was born into this inherited lineage of music & arts, and has been playing percussion
since his early childhood. Koca learned to play the traditional drums of his people under the guidance
of his father and grandfather – both esteemed musicians and percussionists. He also trained with
several “ballets” (traditional performance troupes) throughout West Africa – in Guinea, Gambia, and
Senegal. Since his arrival to Canada’s west coast in 2005, Koca has facilitated countless workshops
for all different age groups, and performed innumerable shows, at hundreds of schools, communities,
and festivals all over the country, as well as abroad.