Janka Nabay and the Bubu Gang

About Janka Nabay and the Bubu Gang

Janka Nabay was the singer who brought bubu, the Temne processional music of northern Sierra Leone, into the recording studio. In its folk form bubu is played by groups blowing interlocking parts on bamboo and metal pipes, first in Temne ceremonies and later in Ramadan processions. Nabay recorded electric versions in Freetown during the 1990s civil war, then moved to the United States in 2003. In 2010 he formed the Bubu Gang with Brooklyn musicians and released the albums En Yay Sah (2012) and Build Music (2017) on Luaka Bop. He returned to Sierra Leone and died in Kambia District in April 2018, aged 54.