The balafon (pronounced /ˈbæləfɒn/ or /ˈbæləfəʊn/) is a musical instrument with gourds that help make the sound louder. It is a type of struck idiophone, which means it is played by hitting it. The balafon is closely linked to the Mandé, Bwaba Bobo, Senoufo, and Gur peoples of West Africa, especially the Guinean branch of the Mandinka ethnic group. Today, it is found across West Africa in countries such as Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Mali. The name "balafon" was likely created by Europeans, combining the Mandinka word for "sound" with a word meaning "to say" or a Greek word for "sound."

History

The balafon is thought to have been created separately from the marimba, an instrument found in Southern Africa and South America. Oral histories suggest the balafon was used at least as early as the 12th century CE, during the rise of the Mali Empire. The name "balafon" comes from the Manding language, but similar instruments have different names across West Africa, such as "balangi" in Sierra Leone and "gyil" among the Dagara, Lobi, and Gurunsi people in Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast. Similar instruments are also played in parts of Central Africa, where the ancient Kingdom of Kongo called it "palaku."

Written records of the balafon date back to the 12th century CE. In 1352 CE, a Moroccan traveler named Ibn Battuta wrote about the ngoni and balafon being played at the court of Mansa Suleyman, a ruler of Mali. European visitors to West Africa in the 17th century described balafons that looked much like the modern version. During the Atlantic Slave Trade, some balafon players were brought to the Americas. In 1776, the Virginia Gazette recorded African-Americans playing an instrument called "barrafoo," which is likely a balafon. References to these instruments in North America became rare by the mid-19th century.

The balafon has become popular again since the 1980s, especially in African Roots Music and World Music. A well-known group that plays the balafon is the Rail Band, led by Salif Keita. Even when not played, the balafon's style has influenced Western instruments. For example, some Maninka people from Guinea use a type of guitar that mimics balafon playing techniques.

In the Malinké language, the word "balafon" combines two parts: "balan" means the instrument, and "fô" means to play. So, "balafon" literally means "to play the bala."

The term "bala" is still used in some areas, like Kolokani and Bobo Dioulasso, to describe a large, low-pitched balafon with long keys and large calabashes for sound. A smaller, high-pitched version called "balani" has short keys (3 to 4 cm long) and small calabashes. The balani is usually carried with a strap and has 21 keys, while the number of keys on a bala varies by region.

Construction

A balafon can be fixed-key, where the keys hang from a wooden frame with calabash resonators below, or free-key, where the keys rest separately on any padded surface. The instrument typically has 17 to 21 keys, which are tuned to specific musical scales, such as tetratonic, pentatonic, or heptatonic, based on the musician’s cultural background.

The balafon usually has 18 to 21 notes, though some versions have fewer, such as 16, 12, 8, 6, or 7. The keys are traditionally made from kosso rosewood, which is dried slowly over a low flame. Tuning involves removing small pieces of wood from the bottom of the keys: wood is taken from the middle to lower the pitch or from the end to raise it.

In fixed-key balafons, the keys are held by leather straps above a wooden frame. Below the frame, calabash gourds of varying sizes are attached. Each gourd has a small hole covered with a thin membrane, often made from spider’s-egg sac filaments, cigarette paper, or plastic film. This creates the instrument’s unique, nasal-buzz sound. The balafon is played using two mallets wrapped in rubber, while the musician sits on a low stool or stands with a sling attached to the frame.

Regional traditions

The way people use the balafon changes in different parts of West Africa. In some areas, it is played alone during ceremonies, while in others, it is part of a group of musicians. In Guinea and Mali, the balafon is often played in groups of three, with each instrument tuned to a low, medium, or high pitch. In Cameroon, six balafons of different sizes perform together in an orchestra called a komenchang. An Igbo variation uses only one large key per player. Usually, one person hits multiple keys with two mallets, but in some traditions, two or more players share a keyboard.

The Susu and Malinké people of Guinea are closely linked to the balafon, as are other Manding groups in Mali, Senegal, and the Gambia. Cameroon, Chad, and the Congo Basin also have long traditions of using the balafon.

Balafon players often wear belled bracelets on their wrists to enhance the sound of the instrument.

In some cultures, the balafon was (and still is) a sacred instrument. Only trained religious people could play it during special events like festivals, royal events, funerals, or weddings. These instruments were stored in temples and could only be played after special purification rituals. Some instruments were made for specific ceremonies, and young learners practiced on simpler, untuned pit balafons before using the sacred ones.

The Sambla people of Burkina Faso are known for their complex musical system, where spoken language is translated into music in a way similar to how some drums communicate.

The gyil is a buzzing pentatonic balafon used by Gur-speaking groups in northern Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Ivory Coast. Among Mande-speaking groups in Ghana, it is called bala. The gyil is central to the traditions of the Dagara and Lobi peoples. It is usually played in pairs with a calabash drum called a kuor. It can also be played by one person with the drum and stick, or by a soloist. Gyil duets are traditional music for Dagara funerals. Men often learn to play the gyil as children, though there are no restrictions on gender. The Gurunsi people of Ghana and Burkina Faso also use the gyil, and a related dance is called the Bewaa.

The gyil is similar to the balafon used by the Mande-speaking Bambara, Dyula, and Sosso peoples in Mali and Burkina Faso, as well as the Senoufo people of Sikasso. It has 14 wooden keys made from liga wood attached to a frame, with calabash gourds hanging below. Spider silk covers holes in the gourds to create a buzzing sound, and antelope sinew and leather are used for fastenings. The instrument is played with rubber-headed mallets.

In the 1950s, bars in Cameroon’s capital became symbols of Cameroonian identity. Balafon orchestras, with 3–5 balafons and percussion instruments, were common in these bars. Some groups, like Richard Band de Zoetele, gained popularity despite disapproval from European elites.

In the mid-20th century, a folk music called bikutsi became popular. Based on war rhythms, it used rattles, drums, and balafons. Women sang bikutsi songs with explicit lyrics and themes about daily life. Anne-Marie Nzie and Messi Me Nkonda Martin, who added electric guitars, helped bikutsi gain mainstream success.

Balafon orchestras remained popular in Yaoundé’s bars, but audiences wanted modern styles. Messi Martin, inspired by Spanish and Cuban music, modified electric guitars to create a sound similar to the balafon.

The balafon, kora (lute-harp), and ngoni (ancestor of the banjo) are key instruments in West African griot traditions. Each is tied to specific regions, but they are often played together. Guinea is historically linked to solo balafon performances. The Kouyaté family, hereditary griots, are known as the balafon’s guardians and have introduced it globally.

The Sosso Bala, a balafon in Guinea, is said to be over 800 years old. According to the Epic of Sundiata, a griot named Bala Faséké Kouyaté played the instrument for a king, leading to the balafon becoming a symbol of the Mali Empire. The Kouyaté family has passed down the role of balafon guardians for generations.

Some historians suggest the Sosso Bala was created by the Kouyaté family in the 1970s. Regardless, UNESCO named it a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage in 2001.

The title of Senegal’s national anthem is “Pincez tous vos koras, frappez les balafons” (Strum your koras, strike the balafons).

A modern festival called the Triangle du balafon is held annually in Sikasso, Mali, celebrating the balafon.

Famous players and ensembles

Famous balafon players have included:

• Madou Kone, a balafon master from Burkina Faso who lives in Vienna, Austria
• Richard Bona, a jazz musician from Cameroon
• Abdou Karim Diabate "Tunkaraba," known as the King of Balafon, from the village of Tabatto, Guinea-Bissau
• Djiby Diabaté
• Kélétigui Diabaté, who performs with Habib Koité's Bamada group
• Mamadou Diabate, who received a special honor from Burkina Faso in 2016, won the "Grand Prix" and "Prix de la Virtuosite de Festival Triangle du Balafon" in Mali in 2012, and won the Austrian World Music Award in 2011
• Lassana Diabaté, a Malian musician who has worked with Toumani Diabaté's Symmetric Orchestra and Afrocubism
• Modibo Diabaté, from Mali
• Zerika Djabate, a musician from Guinea-Bissau
• Djiguiya, a percussion band from Burkina Faso
• Danny Elfman, member of the group Oingo Boingo
• Les Freres Coulibaly, a balafon ensemble from Burkina Faso
• Stefon Harris, an American jazz musician
• Mickey Hart, an American percussionist
• Dominic Howard, a member of the band Muse who used a balafon on their album Origin of Symmetry
• Mory Kanté, during the early part of his career
• Aly Keita, a Malian balafon player who performs with his group Aly Keita and the Magic Balaphone
• Gert Kilian, involved in the DVD The Balafon with Aly Keita & Gert Kilian and the project Balafon Beat
• Lawrence Killian, an American jazz musician
• Mahama Konaté, a member of the group John Cena, a balafon ensemble from Burkina Faso
• Balla Kouyate, from Mali and Guinea, whose father, Sekou "Filani" Kouyaté, is the current guardian of the Sosso Bala
• Mamadi Kouyate, from Mali and Guinea, who moved to Germany in 2015, and whose grandfather, Sékou "Filani" Kouyaté, is the current guardian of the Sosso Bala
• El Hadj Djeli Sory Kouyaté
• N'Faly Kouyate, a member of the Afro Celt Sound System
• Adam Malik, a member of a balafon ensemble from Burkina Faso
• Dave Mann, a jazz percussionist who performed with the Dave Brubeck Group
• Neba Solo, a member of the Senufo balafon group led by Souleymane Traoré, from Sikasso
• Mama Ohandja, a composer and performer from Cameroon
• Qasim, a member of a balafon ensemble from Burkina Faso
• Pharoah Sanders, an American jazz musician
• Saramaya, a balafon ensemble from Burkina Faso
• Raheel Sharif, a British band leader originally from Senegal
• Bill Summers, an American jazz musician who performed with Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, and Los Hombres Calientes
• Lonnie Liston Smith, an American jazz musician
• Rokia Traoré, a Malian singer, guitarist, and band leader
• Le Troupe Saaba, a balafon ensemble from Burkina Faso
• Momo Werner Wevers, a German balafon player who performs solo and with the "Ensemble M.Pahiya" (balafon and classical guitar)
• N'Camara Abou Sylla, from Guinea, who is part of Les Ballets Africains
• Benno Sterzer, a German balafon player living in Austria, who performs as a duet partner with Madou Kone and released the album Balafon – Songs from Africa