Chœur Boras

Since 2009, at Cube 5 — a community and artistic laboratory run by the Sound Musical School B.Vice association in Marseille — women and children have met to share memories and pass down lullabies, some taken from Comorian radio broadcasts, others handed down within each family. The songs carry echoes of African-American blues, and speak to what it means to be a woman and the place women hold in society. The choir offers them a space to give voice to those experiences amongst themselves.

The Boras Choir grew out of these gatherings in 2012. A Marseille-based women’s vocal ensemble of Comorian origin, it set out to keep this fragile heritage alive and pass it on before it slips away. In the Comoros archipelago, ‘bora’ is the word for everyday songs and lullabies.

The choir has performed and collaborated with, among others: the Pierre Barbizet Conservatoire in Marseille; artist and poet Julianknxx; the ‘La nuit des Griots’ festival at the Cité de la Musique in Marseille; the Ballet national de Marseille; the Friche la Belle de Mai; the ‘Oh les beaux jours!’ festival; the Citadelle de Marseille; Marseille Concerts; the Centre de la Vieille Charité; the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican; and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.