Tunde Jegede - Founder of Living Legacies

Tunde Jegede is a composer and Kora player who has been steeped in the traditions of African and European Classical Music for the last 30 years. His music has been performed all over the world and he has worked internationally with orchestras and artists including; The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Brodsky Quartet, Evelyn Glennie, Toumani Diabaté  Oumou Sangaré and the Pan-African Orchestra.

Tunde Jegede is also a pioneer of African Classical Music and set up his own ensemble to perform, celebrate and preserve the rich, cultural inheritance of the West African griot tradition. This initiative grew out of his growing concern for the development and well-being of the tradition, particularly in The Gambia, for future generations. Living Legacies is a project set up by Tunde Jegede to document and archive the traditional music of the Gambia and West Africa.

Living Legacies Team

Sunara Begum - Founder of Living Legacies

Sunara Begum is a visual artist, photographer and filmmaker whose work is perfectly placed between East and West. She uses installation, film, photography and text, and has already created her own distinct visual language and aesthetic which is imprinted in all her work. As a visual artist she has exhibited extensively in galleries across UK and internationally in Europe, Asia and Africa.

As a photographer her work has been published in France, UK, China, India and Bangladesh, in magazines and newspapers including Le Monde and L’Parisian. Her approach to photography contextualises people, places and environments and as an artist she considers herself a Visual-Anthro-Mythologist. She has also directed several short films including; Ara’s World (2009), The Water’s Will (2010), The Pilgrim Within (2013) and a music documentary series, Truth & Art (2013). Sunara Begum sees her mission as to bring a heightened experience of the arts to those who are prepared to listen and see.