Griots at Carleton Strike Musical and Cultural Chords
BY KATIE WILLIAMS
When Balla Kouyaté strikes his instrument, a balaphone, he doesn’t hear only melodious tones. He also hears the stories his family has told from generation to generation, that link him and his profession to a cultural tradition.
Kouyaté is a Malian griot, or “praise singer,” who shared his music and insights on cultural identity at a workshop on Sept. 27 at Carleton College. He was joined by Malian djembe player Makane Kouyaté, and Guinean singer Soba Kanté.
Griots, also known as jalis, trace their ancestry to the era of Soundjata Keita, the epic hero of Malian history said to be the founder of the Mali Empire.
Griots sing and play musical instruments, yet “musician” and “griot” are not synonyms. Rather, one’s identity as a griot is linked directly to ancestral lineage and family-based training.
“You can’t just become a griot, you have to want it,” Kouyaté said.
Griots are artists who “perpetuate the memory of the heroic act” and who “maintain identity through art” by singing praise songs, according to Chérif Keita, head of Carleton’s French department, who also spoke at the workshop.
Mirror of Society
It is then the responsibility of the community to support the griot with gifts and thank them for their praise.
Yet the griot’s praise serves an even larger social function, Keita said, because they are able to speak freely. In Mali a person’s identity and social caste is linked to his or her last name, so in their songs a griot confirms these identities and highlights their interdependence.
The griot is also like an historian, Keita said, because his songs link individuals to the stories of a larger community.
“The praise song is always a mirror in which society sees itself united; it is a mirror for harmony,” Keita said. “Just like the human body cannot live without blood, society cannot live without jalis.”
“When a jaliman dies, it’s like a whole library burns down,” Kouyaté added.
When Kouyaté performs, he plays the balaphone, an instrument brought to his family more than 800 years ago. Similar to a xylophone, the balaphone is a diatonic percussion instrument with 17-21 wooden keys that musicians strike with mallets to produce sound.
Griot Heritage
According to Kouyaté, his family still owns the first balaphone (which is named Sosso Bala and said to have magical powers), which they play once a year. For his own purposes, however, Kouyaté uses a balaphone he personally fabricated from wood and hollowed gourds.
Despite slightly altering his musical style to appeal to young people and to American audiences, Kouyaté remains true to his griot heritage.
The tradition “still matters, because that’s my root. I never forget about that because that’s my base.”
During the last piece performed at the workshop, Carleton students and faculty danced alongside Kouyaté, blending their modern moves with his ancestral song.
Information about Malian griots and Kouyaté’s performances can be found at his website, www.ballakouyate.com.
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