Early Life
While in high school, Kora joined a band called "les Missiles" where learned to play the guitar under the instruction of a Ghanaian called Salah Ben. Bil Aka Kora went to university to study math and physics, but was forced to drop out after his second year because he had neither the funds nor a scholarship to continue his studies. He then turned to music to earn a living. He began playing full time in bars and nightclubs. In 1997, the Cultural Minister of Burkina Faso, Mahamoudou Ouedraogo, initiated "Les Grands Prix Nationaux de la Musique" (National Grand Prizes of Music), which is a national competition for Burkinabé musicians. Winning the first place at this competition with another musician, Kanzai, encouraged Bil Aka Kora to keep developing his musical talent.
Read more about this topic: Bil Aka Kora
Famous quotes related to early life:
“... goodness is of a modest nature, easily discouraged, and when much elbowed in early life by unabashed vices, is apt to retire into extreme privacy, so that it is more easily believed in by those who construct a selfish old gentleman theoretically, than by those who form the narrower judgments based on his personal acquaintance.”
—George Eliot [Mary Ann (or Marian)