Griot
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A griot is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. Griots are masters of communicating stories and history orally, which is an African tradition.
Senegalese griot, 1890
A Hausa griot performs at Diffa, Niger, playing a komsa (Xalam).
Griots of Sambala, king of Médina (Fula people, Mali), 1890. Photo by Joannès Barbier.
Trio Da Kali performing in Mexico City during the 32nd "Festival del Centro Histórico" in Teatro de la Ciudad, c. March 2016
Xalam
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Xalam is a traditional lute from West Africa with 1 to 5 strings. The xalam is commonly played in Mali, Gambia, Senegal, Niger, Northern Nigeria, Northern Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Western
Griot
…to being singers and social commentators, griots are often skilled instrumentalists. Their instruments include stringed instruments like the kora, the khalam (or xalam), the ngoni, the kontigi, and the goje (or n'ko in the Mandinka language). Other instruments include the balafon, and the junjung. According…
Molo, African lute, in the collection of the Smithsonian. The biggest visible difference between the molo and a griot lute like the xalam is the bridge, which is cylindrical on this instrument, but has a fan shape on the xalam.
Back of a molo (lute, showing how the skin soundboard is held on)