OBERLIN MANDINKA ENSEMBLE

Roderic Knight, director

The Oberlin Mandinka Ensemble was formed in 1977. It is a study group dedicated to learning to play the kora, a 21-string bridge harp, the balo, a xylophone, the bolon, a 4-string harp, and to sing in the Mandinka language. The repertoire is from the Mandinka people of The Gambia, Senegal, Guinea, and Mali, and is known as jaliyaa. In Mande culture, of which the Mandinka are the westernmost branch, the musicians, known by the term jali, are professionals who inherit their trade. They perform songs about historical and contemporary figures in Mande culture.

The Oberlin ensemble consists of eight koras, two balos, and other instruments. In 2006 the ensemble performed at the end of the fall semester with two guests from Africa: Alhaji Papa Susso, well-known Gambian kora player, and Tapa Damba, renowned singer from Mali. Below are photos from the concert and rehearsals.