The Best of Africa

A griot (pronounced /gɹi.ɒ/ in English or [ɡʁi.o] in French, with a silent t) or jali (djeli or djéli in French spelling) is a West African poet, praise singer, and wandering musician, considered a repository of oral tradition. As such they are sometimes also called bards. According to Paul Oliver in his book “Savannah Syncopators”, [...]

Djelimady Tounkara is a Malian musician and one of the foremost guitarists in Africa.
Born in the culturally rich town of Kita, east of the Malian capital, Bamako, Djelimady grew up surrounded with traditional music played by members of his family. The Tounkaras are Griots, musicians and historians by birth. Djelimady played djembe drum and xalam, [...]