Kora

The kora (French: cora) is a 21 string harp-lute used extensively by Mandingo peoples in West Africa. It uses a large calabash cut in half and covered with cow skin, as a resonator, and has a notched bridge like a lute or guitar. The sound of a kora is like a harp, though when played in the traditional style, it bears a closer resemblance to flamenco guitar techniques. The player uses only thumb and index finger of both hands to pluck the strings in polyrhythmic patterns. Ostinato grooves ("Kumbeng") and improvised solo runs ("Biriminting") are played at the same time by skilled players.

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Kora players have traditionally come from griot families (traditional entertainers and narrators of stories) who pass their skills on to their descendants. It is played in Mali, Guinea and Senegal, but is most common in The Gambia.

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The earliest reference to the kora in Western literature is in Travels in Interior Districts of Africa (1799) by the Scottish explorer Mungo Park.

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In the book, ' by Alex Haley, and its television adaptation, , Kunta Kinte's memory of the kora is dearly treasured by succeeding generations of his descendents as one of the few he had of his home in the region now know as Guinea before he was enslaved. However, by the time Haley investigated his geneology, his family perception of the instrument and its name was corrupted so badly that he needed to consult an Africa expert find out the correct details of the instrument.

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In recent years, a 25-string model of the kora has been developed, though it has been adopted by only a few players, primarily in the region of Casamance, in southern Senegal. An electric instrument modeled on the kora (but made primarily of metal) called the gravikord was invented in the late 20th century by instrument builder Robert Gravi.

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