While the traditional stringed instrument kora, which plays an important role in transferring oral history in West Africa, is losing its popularity day by day, a world-famous Senegalese kora maestro is looking for ways to make young people love the kora once again.

The kora, a type of stringed instrument that sounds like barley, is considered a trademark of West African music. The kora played in Senegal, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Guinea are believed to have originated in the Gambia. Kora comprises 21 strings in a long cylinder fixed to a half-gourd covered with animal skin.

Considered a traditional musical instrument, certain families of storytellers could only play the kora in West Africa in the past. A griot is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and musician. These griot families who had surnames such as Kouyate, Diabate, Konte, Cissoko could perform professionally Kora.

Griots, who are folk poets, continue to play a key role in transferring the oral history of Africa to future generations with the songs they sing in Kora and the stories they tell. Griots, which are part of a kind of social caste system, are considered indispensable for keeping the African oral tradition alive and preserving the cultural memory of Africa.

It is also known that the history of the Griots dates back to the 13th century, and at that time they served as advisors to the royal family in the Mali Empire and were appointed as diplomats.

Today, griots, who tell stories at weddings and funerals, stand out with their accommodating, wise and poetic aspects.

Although they also play traditional musical instruments such as "balafone" and "akonting," when the griot is mentioned, the Kora comes to mind first. The kora was known for centuries as an instrument played only by men, but Sona Jobarteh of Gambia made her name in history as the first female kora player.

The Kora, which has an important place in the transmission of unwritten African history, has lost its popularity to a large extent with the influence of foreign music styles today.

Ablaye Cissoko, the world-famous Kora maestro from Senegal, wants to protect African oral history by making the Kora an instrument that everyone can access.

With the duets he has made with various names from different musical genres such as Cyrille Brotto, Majid Bekkas, Simon Gubert, Kiya Tabassian, Cissoko aims to remove the kora from being a local instrument.

Among Cissoko's most famous works is the song "Amanke Dionti" (She is Not Your Slave), which he sings in Manding language. In the piece he played with the German trumpeter Volker Goetze, Cissoko tells the story of a young girl who is forced to work from a young age.

'Griots, memory of Africa'

Cissoko said he came from a griot family, and his father, grandparents and even great-grandparents were griots.

"You can't choose to be a griot, you are born a griot. I was born griot too," Cissoko said as he stated the Kora is an integral part of griots and that he met this instrument when he was a child.

Cissoko pointed out that music plays an important role in the preservation of cultural heritage. "Some really just make music, but I don't make music. As a griot, I'm looking for something beyond music, I'm after what music can bring to me.

We can think of a griot's role as an infinitely long sewing needle with a thread, his purpose is to sew and strengthen wherever there is dissolution. He's actually a very good tailor or a perfectionist surgeon. That's what the griot spirit is like."

Cissoko pointed out that all ancient kora pieces tell a historical event or story.

"It is our responsibility to sing these songs. How you sing them is up to you, but before that, there are stories that date back to centuries that we need to preserve. We have to keep them alive. Why are these songs important? Because only a small part of African history has been written down. You look at some civilizations they have annual written sources of 2,000 or 3,000 years, unfortunately, we do not have this, but we were there 2,000 or 3,000 years ago. That's why we learn about our past with songs, melodies and stories. Therefore, griots are the memory of Africa. All the anonymous songs we sing through these traditional instruments are actually a mirror of our past. It is a responsibility I am proud of bringing stories from the ages ago to the present while living in this age."

'Kora, our history'

Cissoko stated that the popularity of the kora against other international instruments is decreasing day by day, noting that this also means the disappearance of the oral history of Africa.

Stating that Senegal founded the first and only kora school with this concern, Cissoko emphasized he wanted to transform the kora into a musical instrument that everyone can reach.

Cissoko pointed out that the kora, beyond being a musical instrument, plays a very important role in sharing oral history.

"Our young people are not interested in the kora. They are curious about instruments such as guitars and drums, and they are right because it is easier to reach them than the kora. Of course, there is no harm in learning these, but if you do not protect your own heritage, who else will?"

"You used to learn within the caste system. Today, this has changed. Everyone should reach the kora. We are the only kora school in Senegal, we have 14 students, but we need many schools like this."

Cissoko also talked about his first stage memory, underlining that he started playing professional kora at 13.

"I came to Saint-Louis to play at the French Institute with my uncle. I was very excited. I wore a large boubou (an African caftan type) inherited from my grandfather, but think about it, I'm 13 years old, so of course, (the boubou was so big it) crawling on the floor. I put a stool under the boubou and started playing. The audience of course noticed nothing but a tiny head on a huge body... I still laugh when I think of it."