Baba Jamal Koram, master storyteller, mentor, and cultural leader, passed away on June 11, 2025. Known as the “storyteller’s storyteller,” he shared African and African American oral traditions with a humility and power that drew people close and left them changed.
Story Crossroads was honored to host Baba Jamal at our inaugural festival in 2016, thanks to the Nubian Storytellers of Utah Leadership, affiliated with the National Association of Black Storytellers. From the moment he stepped onto the stage, audiences were wrapped in the rhythms of his jembe drum and the truth of his words. As one listener reflected after his performance, “He didn’t just tell stories—he created a circle where everyone belonged.”
His artistry was matched by his devotion to community. Whether in schools, libraries, prisons, or theaters, Baba Jamal believed deeply in the power of story to uplift. He shared that power not only across the United States but also abroad, in South Africa and Germany. Storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston once said of him, “Jamal carried the traditions with reverence, but he also carried us—he lifted us higher every time he spoke.”
Baba Jamal’s life was a balance of rhythm, wisdom, and love. He mentored young storytellers, built programs and Rites of Passage camps, and became a guiding elder whose presence was both grounding and inspiring. His work was recognized with honors such as the Zora Neale Hurston Award from the National Association of Black Storytellers and the Circle of Excellence Oracle Award from the National Storytelling Network, yet those who knew him remember first his kindness. As Mama Linda Goss, co-founder of NABS, once said, “Jamal was a brother in the truest sense—steady, generous, and always ready with a story that healed.”
He leaves behind his wife, children, and grandchildren, as well as generations of listeners and storytellers who carry forward his legacy. At Story Crossroads, we remember him with gratitude for the gift of his presence in our early days, and we join the worldwide community in honoring a man whose stories still sing in our hearts.
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You can see more details on Baba Jamal Koram with the Story Artists Memorial.
Enjoy this video featuring Baba Jamal Koram below:
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I remember when I first heard Baba Jamal Koram tell a story. Little did I know that his beauty of language was more than words and rhythm but of presence as well. His legacy of story, drum, and wisdom lives on in every circle he created and every heart he touched. Through his voice, his guidance, and his vision, Baba Jamal continues to remind us of the strength, resilience, and love within the human spirit.
Baba Jamal Koram still has a story. You have a story. We all have stories.