The balafon is an African wooden xylophone, usually with 18 to 21 keys, which plays an important role in Mandinké music. Its great rhythmic and melodic richness are its most important characteristics. Kamory Kouyate comes from the large family of griots from Guinea Conakry. In West Africa, griots fulfil the role of poet, praise singer and musician and are considered as the custodians and narrators of orally transmitted traditions and history or, more poetically could be called ‘living libraries’. In Kamory’s family, everyone is a musician. His father Balakala Kouyate is one of Guinea’s most famous musicians and a master of the balafon and his mother Fanta Mbacke Kouyate is a widely praised singer. It is therefore not surprising that balafon player and singer Kamory Kouyate is completely overwhelmed by the Mandinké tradition.

Musician:
Kamory Kouyate: balafon, singing