The music In the 13th century Sundyata Keita, a warrior prince, founded the Malink Empire in western Mali. The Malink culture, including music, dates back to that time. There are three main Malink musical styles, Maninka, Bamana, and Mandinka. The songs are usually sung by women. Bamana , based on a five-note scale.
Melodies are stark and often slow.
All musicians learn a number of core songs in the Malink style, such as the epic song, Sundyata . Some melodies are used over and over again, with different words, and in different arrangements. Malink music has, of course, changed and developed over the years, especially since Mali's independence in the 1960s, as well as with the use of recordings, radio, and television. One such development was the use of dance bands to provide entertainment in clubs and restaurants. Traditional musicians belong to a caste, known as the jali .