Richard Bona (born 28 October 1967) is a Cameroon-born American multi-instrumentalist and singer. Bona Penda Nya Yuma Elolo was born in Minta, Cameroon, into a family of musicians, which enabled him to start learning music from a young age. His grandfather was a griot – a West African singer of praise and storyteller – and percussionist, as his mother was a singer. When he was four years old, Bona began playing the balafon. At the age of five, he began performing at his village church. Not being wealthy, Bona made many of his own instruments, including flutes and guitars (with cords strung over an old motorcycle tank).
