What is an African kora? | African double-strung harp
The kora is a double-strung harp (a bridged harp) from West Africa that belongs to the Manding people. The kora is also defined as a “harp-lute,” since it uses a calabash that forms its acoustic body. You can read more about the organology of the African kora here
African kora origin | Guinea-Bissau (Kabbu)
The origin of the African kora was in Guinea-Bissau; it crystallized in the mid-to-late 18th century. Historically, the kora is intrinsically linked to the Mandinga people and the ancient Kingdom of Kaabu, which spanned what is now Guinea-Bissau and southern Senegal (Casamance). It was there that the instrument was perfected and where the first great Jalis (“griots” french term) were born.
But the “golden age,” the stage of maximum peak, took place in Gambia. Although it was not born in Gambia, it became the world epicenter of the African kora during the 20th century. Gambia knew how to institutionalize the music through national programs and music schools; great legendary figures such as Amadu Bansang Jobarteh or Jali Nyama Suso elevated the instrument to a level of technical virtuosity that attracted international attention. Gambia became the “hotpoint” of the kora, transforming into the bridge to the rest of the world.
But the exodus of the kora continued toward Mali as a cultural migration and economic one. The music industry in Bamako became the capital of West Africa: it has better studios, more record labels, and a more dynamic market. The epicenter of the Diabaté dynasty (Sidiki Diabaté, father of Toumani) moved to Mali; although the Diabaté still have deep roots connecting with Gambia and Guinea-Bissau, their settlement in Mali (with Toumani Diabaté at the helm) centralized the prestige of the kora in Bamako. In Mali, the kora has ceased to be pure tradition to mix with blues, jazz, and symphonic music, which attracts musicians seeking to innovate and live from their art.
The exodus, somehow, continues throughout the world… in the end, the question of where the African kora is played, or its origin, is answered with: “Who traditionally plays the kora?, What people or ethnicity?”.
The kora is traditionally played by specific families of the Mandinga people (the ‘Jaliya’ community) and, wherever they live, the kora and its music always move with them; it is a fundamental part of their identity.
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The origins of the kora are not written anywhere since in Africa everything is transmitted orally and the only stories known about the origins of this harp are related to magic and the forest spirits (Djinjins)… and apparently “mythology” tells that the kora was stolen, and copied, from these forest beings. On the other hand, we find different Jali families who claim that the kora was born (or played for the first time) within their family lineage, so different versions exist with a bit of controversy regarding the matter.
“…The Kouyates (Kouyate family) were the first family of Mandinga Jalis (griots). Then the Susso (Sussoh or Sissoko) who were descendants of Fakoli (a general of Sunjata). Within the Susso there were horon, jalis, blacksmiths…”
From a “technical vision of its construction” (organological vision), if we look deeply on the ground following the tracks of this Manding harp, attending to its characteristics and features, we find in the Congo what conceptually are the basic principles of the kora in the structure of the ngombi na peke (double-string bridge-harp) from the hands of the Baka people. A “more developed” version of the Ngombi Na Peke that travels north seems to be the Mvet and as we move much further north, in Guinea, we find a “smart-fusion” version between the single-course (ngombi) and doubl-strung harp (nogombi na peke) of the Baka ethnicity, with the name of seperewa, which is basically already a kora, a version with fewer strings.
And my question, which I leave in the air… ¿could these forest spirits (Djinjins) be the Baka ethnicity, who mastered and master the single-course and double-strung harp since the beginning of times, from whom they “stole the blueprints” of that instrument “that communicates with the divine”?
Who traditionally plays the African kora? | The Jali (Jaliya community)
Originally the kora was and is played by the Jali (Jaliya community), which are specific families of musicians from the Mandinga ethnicity (Manding people), who are guardians of their history and culture. They are highly esteemed storytellers who sing about kings, wars, events, and important figures, and furthermore, with their sort of “aura of saints,” they work as conciliators of problems among their people using the healing vibrations of music and their word (full of wisdom).
Nowadays, the kora is progressively being taught to other people outside the circle of these Jali families as these families are becoming more open to foreign interest in the instrument itself… but sadly less interested in their traditional music and less in the historical content of their repertoire.
In this link you can listen to kora players.
How many strings does a kora originally have?| 22 strings
Generally standard koras have 21 or 22 strings that are made of nylon monofilament (the most common material), they were and are also made of gut… and also fluorocarbon. But you can also find koras with 23 and 24 strings (even more, but they are a rare things many times”hibrids of something else”).
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The geographical origin of the kora was in the Kingdom of Kaabu and in this area tradition dictates that the kora must have 22 strings. For the ancient masters of this region, a 21-string kora is “incomplete” or “mutilated.”
The magic string of the hunters… Before the kora was an instrument of the Jalis (the musician caste the Jaliya), its organological ancestors (such as the bolon or the simbing) were instruments of the Manding hunters. These hunters were mystical figures who knew the secrets of the forest and the spirits (Djinn).
According to the legend in Casamance and Guinea-Bissau, the 22nd string is not just a musical note; it is the string of spirituality. It is said to be the string that calls the spirits and the one that grants the “aura” or magic to the instrument.
By having 22 strings, the bridge has 11 on each side. The number 11 is sacred, and the sum (22) represents the total balance between the visible and invisible worlds. The Right Side (11): The world of the living, the musician, and the physical sound. The Left Side (11): The world of the ancestors, the spirits (Djinn), and the “silence” that carries the music.
Why was that string lost in other places When the kora travelled up toward Gambia it became a more social and royal court instrument, moving slightly away from that mysticism of the forest hunters. Musicians in Gambia standardized the 21 strings for a practical matter of tuning and because they visually eliminated that “magical” symmetry to focus on technical virtuosity.
The society became increasingly Islamic. The “magic” of the forest and the Djinjins started to be seen as something “pagan” or “low status” compared to the new religious order. By removing that 22nd string, they essentially “sanitized” the kora, making it more acceptable for an Islamic, urbanized society.
The Gambian Jaliya became a high-status class that played for Kings and wealthy patrons. They wanted to project an image of refinement and prestige. In a way, they “killed” the note to allow the kora to survive in a new era. To gain social status and “posh” appeal in the Islamic Gambian circles, the musicians had to disconnect the instrument from its “darker,” spirit-based origins in the Kaabu forests.
In the African imaginary: 21 is often the number of “Man” and “Society” (3×7), whereas 22 is the number of “God/Spirits” and “The Infinite.” By dropping 22 to 21, the kora ceased to be a tool for talking to spirits and became a tool for talking to men.
Where to listen some reference of kora musicians?
If you want to discover, or delve deeper into, African music by the hand of magnificent performers, here in this link you can consult an extensive list of kora players with audio and video demonstrations.