Lionel Loueke (born 27 April 1973) is a guitarist born in the west African country of Benin. He moved to Ivory Coast in 1990 to study at the National Institute of Art.[1] He attended the American School of Modern Music in Paris, France from 1994-1998. In 1999, Loueke was awarded a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, where he earned a degree in Jazz Performance in 2000.