Salia koroma biography of christopher

Salia Koroma

Koroma, Salia, Sierra Leonean accordionist and singer; b. Segbwema, Sierra Leone, 1903; d. ?

Koroma, born among the Mende people in southeastern Sierra Leone, embarked on his musical career at the behest of his father who was also an accordionist.

In lieu of the British-style education offered by the country’s colonial government, Koroma studied music under the guidance of a number of his father’s apprentices.

He struck out on his own in his early twenties, moving from town to town under the patronage of a succession of Mende chiefs.

Implicit in such relationships was the creation of praise songs to honor the patron, but Koroma also performed traditional Mende folk music and other songs he composed based on his observations of life.

Koroma rose to national prominence in the 1950s when, in an effort to expand its library of indigenous music, the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service invited him to the capital, Freetown, to record some of his songs for bro