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Showing 13 results for “Music”
Music · VideoThe Drummers of Dakar
Sabar rhythms are a language. Three drummers explain what their hands are actually saying.
Senegal · Dakar · Wolof
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Music · StoryThe Sosso-Bala of Niagassola
A single balafon kept in one village for centuries, guarded by one family and played only on rare occasions.
Guinea · Siguiri, Upper Guinea · Malinké, French
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Music · StoryZaouli: The Mask That Cannot Stop Dancing
A Guro mask dance of impossible footwork, performed to a drum and flute ensemble that the dancer must match exactly.
Côte d'Ivoire · Guro country, central Côte d'Ivoire · Guro, French
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Music · StoryThe Balafon of the Senufo
A pentatonic wooden xylophone tuned by ear and by generation, played at work, at funerals and at village gatherings.
Burkina Faso · Cascades and Hauts-Bassins · Senufo, Dioula, French
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Music · StoryMorna: The Sound of Longing
The national music of Cabo Verde, sung in Kriolu about departure, the sea and the wish to return.
Cabo Verde · Across the islands, with roots in Boa Vista and São Vicente · Kriolu (Cabo Verdean Creole), Portuguese
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Folklore · StoryT'heydinn: The Epic of the Moorish Poets
Sung poems in Hassaniya Arabic that hold the genealogies, battles and virtues of Moorish ancestors.
Mauritania · Across Mauritania · Hassaniya Arabic
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Traditions · StoryCure Salée: The Salt Cure at In-Gall
At the end of the rains, herders gather at the salt pastures of In-Gall for a meeting that is part husbandry, part festival.
Niger · In-Gall, Agadez Region · Fulfulde, Tamasheq, Hausa, French
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People · PortraitThe Griot Families of Brikama
Six households whose profession is remembering.
The Gambia · Brikama, West Coast · Mandinka
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History · StoryRiver Routes
How trade, salt and language moved along the water.
The Gambia · Along the Gambia River · English
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Music · AudioKora Lineages
A player traces his instrument back five generations.
The Gambia · Brikama, West Coast · Mandinka
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Music · VideoThe Drum That Speaks
Sabar rhythm as language, phrase by phrase.
Senegal · Medina, Dakar · Wolof
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Music · AudioSongs Sung Only at Night
Recorded with the community's permission, shared with their conditions.
The Gambia · Upper River Region · Mandinka
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ThemeMusic
Kora, sabar, drumming and the songs that hold history.
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