Arts + Culture
The jeli: West Africa’s griots and the families that keep history in song
In the Mande world of West Africa, the jeli, or griot, is a hereditary musician, historian and praise…
kora
Arts + Culture
The kora had always been played by men. Sona Jobarteh, from a Gambian griot family, changed that
Sona Jobarteh, born in London into one of The Gambia's great griot families, is widely described as the…
Arts + Culture
Seventy-one generations of griots, one kora: Toumani Diabaté, who died in 2024
Toumani Diabaté, the Malian kora master from a long line of griots, won Grammys with Ali Farka Touré…
Arts + Culture
A Guinean kora player made “Yéké Yéké” a European dance-floor hit in 1988. Mory Kanté’s million seller
Mory Kanté, a griot from Guinea who once sang with the Rail Band of Bamako, released "Yéké Yéké"…