Balafon

The balafon (pronounced /balaˈfɔ̃/) is a West African xylophone with gourd resonators, classified among idiophones struck. It is one of the most emblematic instruments of West African musical tradition, closely associated with the Mandé, Sénoufo, Bobo, and Bwaba peoples.

Etymology

The word balafon comes from Manding: the term is composed of bala (the name of the instrument) and fô (the verb “to play”). The balafon therefore literally designates the action of playing the bala. This name is a designation probably of European origin combining the Manding bála with the suffix -phone.

Depending on the region, the instrument takes other names: balo in Mali and Burkina Faso, balangi in Sierra Leone, gyil (or gyile) among the Gur peoples of Burkina Faso and Ghana, bala among the Bambara and Dyula. The large low-pitched balafon is also called simply bala in the Kolokani region (Mali) and Bobo-Dioulasso.

Construction

A balafon is composed of 17 to 21 laminae in hard wood (traditionally kosso — Pterocarpus erinaceus, or sometimes rosewood). The laminae are slowly dried over low heat, then tuned by rasping the wood from the center (to lower the note) or from the ends (to raise it).

The laminae are suspended above a wooden frame (or placed on a cushion for free-lamina balafons). Under each lamina hangs a calibrated gourd that serves as a resonator. A small hole pierced in each gourd is covered with a membrane — traditionally spider web silk, today often a thin plastic film or cigarette paper — which produces the characteristic nasal timbre (or metron effect) of the instrument. The whole is played with two mallets with rubber heads.

Like the kora and the ngoni, the balafon is one of the three most emblematic instruments of the bardic traditions of West African griots. Musicians often wear jingle bracelets around their wrists to accentuate the sound.

History

The oral history of the balafon dates back to the rise of the Mali Empire in the 12th century. The Moroccan traveler Ibn Battouta records its presence at the court of Mansa Suleyman in 1352. European visitors of the 17th century describe balafons practically identical to the modern instrument.

The Sosso Bala, a balafon preserved in Niagassola, Guinea, is considered the oldest known specimen — built more than 800 years ago according to legend. The epic of Sundiata Keita, founder of the Mali Empire, recounts how the griot Bala Faséké Kouyaté seduced King Soumaoro Kanze by playing this sacred instrument. The Kouyatés remain its hereditary guardians to this day. In 2001, UNESCO named the “cultural space of the Sosso-Bala of Niagassola” one of the Oral and Intangible Treasures of Humanity.

Regional traditions

The balafon is present throughout West Africa with notable regional variations:

  • Guinea and Mali: the balafon often forms part of a set of three instruments (low, medium, high), played by jalis (griots) of hereditary caste. The Kouyaté family is considered the guardians of the balafon.
  • Burkina Faso: among the Sambla (Sembla) peoples, the balafon possesses a complex system of linguistic mimicry where words are translated into music, as with the speaking drum.
  • Cameroon: balafon orchestras (3 to 5 instruments) performed in bars in Yaoundé in the 1950s, and the balafon influenced the emergence of bikutsi.
  • Senegal: the title of the national anthem is “Pinch all your koras, strike the balafons”, a strong symbol of Senegalese musical identity.
  • Mali: the Balafon Triangle, an annual festival, has been held in Sikasso since the 2000s.

Notable players

Many musicians have contributed to the international recognition of the balafon:

  • The Kouyaté family, Manding griots, transmit the knowledge of the balafon from generation to generation for centuries.
  • El Hadj Djeli Sory Kouyaté (1927–2001) is considered by many to be the greatest Manding balafon master, famous for his Anthology of the Manding Balafon recorded in the 1990s.
  • Balla Kouyaté and N’Faly Kouyate (Afro Celt Sound System) exported the sound of the balafon into modern world music.
  • Kélétigui Diabaté is recognized for his playing with the group Bamada of Habib Koité.
  • The Rail Band, under the direction of Salif Keita, adapted traditional balafon rhythms to an electrified urban sound.
  • The Malian Rokia Traoré also incorporates balafon elements into her music.

References

The epic of Sundiata Keita, founder of the Mali Empire, contains the founding narratives linked to the balafon and the Kouyatés, guardians of this sacred instrument.

Sources

Bibliography

  • Jessup, Lynne (1983). The Mandinka Balafon: An Introduction with Notation for Teaching. Xylo Publications. ISBN 0-916421-01-5
  • Charry, Eric (2000). Mande Music: Traditional and Modern Music of the Maninka and Mandinka of Western Africa. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-10161-4
  • Egger, Adrian ; Hema, Moussa (2009). Die Stimme des Balafon — La Voix du Balafon. Schell Music. ISBN 978-3-940474-09-4
  • Gibb, H. A. R.; Beckingham, C. F., eds. (1994). The Travels of Ibn Baṭṭūṭa, A.D. 1325–1354 (Volume IV). Hakluyt Society. ISBN 978-0-904180-37-4