Musicians from Mali have made quite an impact on world music. The music of Mali is dominated by forms derived from the ancient Mande Empire. The Mande people make up most of the country’s population, and their musicians, professional performers called jeliw (sing. jeli, French griot), have produced a vibrant popular music scene alongside traditional folk music. Influences also come from the hundreds of ethnic groups surrounding Mali, as well as Moorish and European musical forms.
The Mande people are divided into three groups based on language. They all claim descent from the legendary warrior Sunjata Keita, who founded the Mande Empire. The Maninka, Mandinka and Bamana languages are spoken in Mali and in parts of surrounding Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Senegal and The Gambia. Mande music was a very important aspect of the Mali culture.
The jeliya (sing. jeli, fem. jelimusow, French griot) are a caste of professional musicians and orators, sponsored by noble patrons of the horon class and part of the same caste as craftsmen (nyamakala) like blacksmiths. Because the jeli class is endogamous, surnames are caste-based; thus, certain names are held only by jeliw. Common jeli surnames include Kouyat?, Kamissoko, Cissokho, Dambele, Soumano, Kant?, Diabat? and Kon?.
Jeliya are supported by their noble sponsors. Their job is complex. They recount genealogical information and historical family events. They also laud the deeds of their patron’s ancestors and praise the patron himself (for the patrons are always male), as well as exhort them to behave morally to ensure the honour of the family name. They also act as dispute mediators. The position is highly-respected, and jeliw are often trusted by their patrons with privileged information because the caste system does not allow the jeliw to be a potential rival of the nobleman.
Few non-jeliw have taken music as a profession, though Salif Keita remains an extremely prominent example of a noble-born Malian who became a singer, adopting traditional garb and styles. He has, however, made it clear that he sings as an artist, in order to personally express himself, and not as a jeli.
The jeli repertoire includes several ancient songs; the oldest may be “Lambang”, which praises music. Other songs praise ancient kings and heroes, especially Sunjata Keita (“Sunjata”) and Tutu Jara (“Tut Jara”). Music is typically accompanied by a full dance band, often using electric instruments in recent years. Songs are composed of a scripted refrain (donkili) and an improvised section. Improvised lyrics praise ancestors, and are usually based around a surname. Each surname has an epithet used to glorify its ancient holders, and singers also praise recent and still-living family members. Proverbs are another major component of traditional songs.
The political and historical aspects of the jeli’s task fall within the male jeli’s realm, as does the playing of instruments. Their work is considered to be a form of speech, whereas the work of the jelimusow, which is to sing praises and exhortations, is viewed as song.
Traditional instruments
The kora is by far the most popular traditional instrument. It is similar to both a harp and a lute and can have between 21 and 25 strings. Ngoni (lutes) and balafon (xylophones) are also common.
The kora is believed to have come from what is now Guinea-Bissau, and is known to have existed by 1796, when Mungo Park, a Scottish explorer, reported seeing one. There are two styles of playing the kora. The western style is found mostly in Senegal and The Gambia, and is more rhythmically complex than the eastern tradition. The best known player of the western style is the Gambian musician, Jaliba Kuyateh. Eastern kora-playing is more vocally-dominated, and is found throughout Mali and Guinea. Respected players of the kora include Sidiki Diabat?, Toumani Diabat?, Djeli Moussa Sissoko and Batouou Sekou Kouyat?.
The ngoni is known to have existed since 1352, when Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan traveller reported seeing one in the court of Mansa Musa. It is believed to have evolved into the? banjo in North America after Mande slaves were exported there en masse. Battuta also reported the existence of a balafon, which is a complex xylophone popular especially among the Susu of western Guinea.
Mande percussion instruments include the tama, djembe and dunun drums.
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Tags: balafon, jeliw, kora, Mali Music, Mande Empire, Music of Mali, Ngoni, The jeliya
