🎻 Ethnic and folk music — Malian

Malian music is one of the most influential in West Africa, but it brings together Mandinka, Songhai, Fulani, Tuareg, Bambara and many other communities' traditions. The jeliw, often translated as "griots", are hereditary specialists in speech, genealogy and music within Mandinka societies. The kora, balafon and ngoni are essential in Mandinka traditions, while other regions use different instruments and forms. Ali Farka Touré brought Songhai and Fulani repertoires closer to the blues, though Malian music does not historically derive from American blues; Salif Keïta renewed Mandinka song. Tuareg music, rap, pop and griot ensembles today sustain very active creativity in Mali and in the diaspora.