Mali’s Music: A Universal Language

The country of Mali and the U.S. state of Mississippi are more than 5,000 miles apart and very different from each other in almost every way. But many people say that music is a universal language, and in this case, it’s true. Mississippi and Mali share a flavor of blues music that connects their modern-day musicians with ancient African musical traditions. How did these two places end up sharing a musical language?

Mali is a country with a long, rich (or in French), recited or sang stories and histories from memory. Griots used instruments such as the (a lute), the (a percussion instrument like a xylophone), and the (a string instrument much like a harp).