Balafon

**Balafon** nyɛla chugu bee ŋmankpulli balinkona, "struck idiophone" balishɛli. Ban tooi mali li n-nyɛ Mandé, Senoufo mini Gur niriba ban be West Africa, di bahi bahindi Guinean kparibɔɣu din be Mandinka zuliya ni, amaa di pa nyɛla di niŋ bayana West Africa zaŋ chaŋ Guinea ni Mali. Di yuli ŋɔ,, *balafon*, ni tooi nyɛ Europea bachinima laɣimbu din yina Mandinka yuli ni  *bala* ni bachi din nyɛ  *fôn* 'n yɛli' bee "Greek root *phono"*.

## History
Dihitabili bɛni ni di nyɛla binkumdi shɛli bɛ ni mali di ko Southern African mini South American binkumda din yuli booni marimba puunj, noli taarihi zaŋ jɛndi  balafon buɣisila di saha zali  Mali Empire yibu na saha 12th century CE. Balafon nyɛla Manding yuli, amaa di mali balibu pam gbansabila tiŋgbana ni, n ti tabili *balangi* din be Sierra Leone ni gyil din be Dagara, Lobi mini Gurunsi din yina Ghana, Burkina Faso mini Ivory Coast. Bɛ ŋmɛri binkumdi shɛŋa din ŋmani li Central Africa, ni nadaa "Kingdom of Kongo" ka bɛ booni lala binkumda ŋɔ *palaku*.

Balafon taarihi chaŋmi ti gbaai 12th century CE. Yuunj 1352 CE, Morocco sochanda Ibn Battuta daa ti lahabali din wuhiri ni ngoni mini balafon be  Malia nira kootu ni, Mansa Suleyman.

Europea nima ban daa go n kana West Africa daa buɣosila  balafons yuuni 17th century ka di ŋmani ʒemana ŋɔ binkumda. Atlantic Slave Trade daa ʒila balafon ŋmɛriba shɛba na America. "*Virginia Gazette"*  daa sabi "African-Americans" ban ŋmɛri  *barrafoo* n sɔŋ yuuni 1776, ka bɛ doli li ka di ti nyɛ balafon. North American ban mali lala shɛhira ŋɔ shɛba nyɛla ban kpi 19th century sunsuuni.

Balafon yuli pili la dubu tum 1980s "African Roots Music mini World Music zoobu ni. Din nyɛ yuli pam di puuni n-nyɛ Rail Band,  Salif Keita ni da gari tooni ka shɛli niŋ. Hali di yi kuli bi lahi ŋmɛ gba, din kumsi din gahim maa nyɛla bɛ ni zaŋ shɛli mpahi western binkumda ni. Maninka din yina eastern Guinea ŋmɛrila jitaaya binkumda balishɛli din ŋmɛri bɛ ni ŋmɛri balafon ni ŋmɛri shɛm.

### Bachi maa ni yi na shɛli
Malinké balli ni *balafon nyɛla bachinima ayi taba laɣimbu*: *balan nyɛla binkumda maa yuli*  ka  *fô* nyɛ bachiniŋdili, ŋmɛbɛ. Balafon, di zuɣu, di nyɛla *bala ŋmɛbu*.

*Bala* na nyɛla yu'shɛli bɛ ni mali n-tiri "bass balafon" karili din be Kolokani mini Bobo Dioulasso yaɣili. Lala *bala* ŋɔ mali.la safe waɣila mini ŋman kara din tiri li kukoli . *Balani* ka bɛ booni din mali kumsi pam,  balafon bila din mali ŋman bihi mini din ji (3 zaŋ chaŋ 4&nbsp;cm waɣilim). Lala *balani* tooi malla saafe nima pishi ni yini, saafenima di be *bala* dolila tiŋ'shɛli polo di ni be.

## Construction

Balafon ni tooi nyɛ saafenima din bi damda (ka saafenima maa lo n tabili luɣ'yini, ka di tooi zooi ka ŋmana din tiri kumsi maa be gbunni) bee saafe shɛŋa bɛ ni ti vuhim (ka saafe kam ni tooi kuli pa luɣili kam). Lala balafon ŋɔ tooi mali la  saafenima 17–21, kumdila tetratonic, pentatonic bee heptatonic buɣisibu, din doli yiliyiina ma ni yina shɛli polo.

Balafon nyɛla din mali binkumda balibu 18 zaŋ chaŋ 21, amaa bɛ mali shɛŋa ka di kumsi balibu bela  (16, 12, 8 bee 6 mini 7). Balafon nyɛla bɛ ni tooi mali "kosso rosewood" m-maani shɛli, ka bɛ deeni li.ka di.kuura, ka sariti saafenima maa lɔŋni dari maa belabela m-bahiri a, ka di tiri li.kumsi. Bɛ yihiri la dɔɣu m-bahiri di sunsuuni ka saafenima maa dooni pasi.

Balafon din safenima bi damdi puuni, gbaŋ ka bɛ mali n lɔri saafenima maa n tabindi dari maa zuɣusaa, ka zaŋ ŋmana lɔ di lɔŋni. Bɛ malila kpatinariŋ galipɔɣiri n ŋariti ŋmankpula maa mali vobihibihi shɛŋa (sahaŋɔ di tooi zooya ka di nyɛ shigaari takari gbana ka bɛ mali n niŋdi li) ka di tiri li nyeeni kumsi.

## Regional traditions
Di ni niŋ ka balafon kali mali balibu gbansabila tiŋgbana ni maa, lala n-nyɛ binkumda maa gba maŋmaŋa. Luɣu'shɛŋa bɛ ŋmɛrila balafon maliŋ yi ti be. Guinea mini Mali,  balafon nyɛa din be binkumda balibu dibaa ata ni, ka di kumsi do tiŋa, sunsuuni ni zuɣusaa. Cameroon, bɛ ŋmɛri la balafon balibu dibaa ayɔbu "orchestra", ka bɛ booni li *komenchang*.  Igbo gba mali li ka di mali saafe karili zaɣi yini ŋun kam ŋmɛri li tooni. Ka ninvuɣi yino ŋmɛri saafe bɔbigu ni dari dibaa ayi, shɛba tooi che ka niriba ayi bee ninvuɣi bɔbigu ŋmɛrili bɛ kali ni.

Susu mini Malinké niriba ban be Guinea nyɛla bɛ ni baŋdi shɛba ni balafon, kamani  Manding nima ban yina Mali, Senegal, ni Gambia. Cameroon, Chad, hali ti tabili Congo Basin tiŋgbana ni balafon kaya.

Di tooi zooya, ka  balafon ŋmɛriba tooi piriti bansi bɛ nuhi ni, ka di luri zahindi saafenima maa kumsi maa.

Luɣ'shɛŋa balafon daa nyɛla maliŋ binkumda, ka shɛŋa na kuli nyɛ lala ka mali bɛ ni yihi shɛba ka bɛ ŋmɛrili Adiini ni, ka bɛ ŋmɛri li ku yiya, amiliya nima ni bee chuɣu puhibu ni ko. Nimaani bɛ tooi sɔɣirila bafalon nima maa zolona ni, ka bɛ ni tooi yihili na n ŋmɛli di yi niŋ ka bɛ bɔ maliŋ n-ti li ko. Di shɛŋa kuli bɛni ka di nyɛla bɛ maani li mi ka di mali bɛ ni ŋmɛri li luɣ'shɛŋa. Bɛ ni mali shɛli wuhiri niriba di ŋmɛbu n-nyɛ "*free-key* pit balafons".

### Gyil

***Gyil*** ( bee ) nyɛla  "pentatonic balafon" biniumda din niŋ bayana ba tɔɣisiri Gur north Ghana, Burkina Faso, southeastern Mali mini northern Ivory Coast din be West Africa. Mande nima ban be Ghana kamani Ligbi (Numu), Bissa ni Dyula, bɛ booni la lala binkumda ŋɔ *bala*. Lala gyil nyɛla binkumda n-ti Dagara nima ban be Ghana mini Burkina Faso tuduu polo, n-ti pahi Lobi ban yina Ghana, southern Burkina Faso, ni Ivory Coast. Lala gyil ŋɔ  nyɛla bɛ ni tooi zani shɛli ka di mali jahi, ka mali ŋmani daliga ka bɛ booni li *kuor*. Ninvuɣi yino ni tooi ŋmɛrili ni lala ŋmani ŋɔ mini dɔɣu, bee di ko. Gyil tooi nyɛla bishɛli. bɛ ni ŋmɛri Dagara ku yiya. Dabba n tooi zooi lala binkumda ŋɔ ŋmɛbu, bɛ bɔhindi li mi ŋmɛbu ka na nyɛ zaɣi bihi; amaa, sokam ni tooi ŋmɛli (paɣa bee dooo). Gurunsi ban be Upper East Region yaɣili Ghana gba lahi nyɛla ban ŋmɛri li, n-ti pahi Gurunsi ban be south mini central Burkina Faso. Waa din ŋmani gyil n-nyɛ Bewaa.

Lala gyil ŋɔ dizaan ŋmanila *balaba* bee balafon shɛli Mande-ban tɔɣisiri Bambara, Dyula ni Sosso niriba ban be southern Mali mini western Burkina Faso, n-ti lahi.pahi Senoufo niriba ban be Sikasso, yaɣ'shɛli ban kaya pam ŋmani Ivory Coast mini Ghana dini. Bɛ maani li mi ni dari saafenima pia ni anahi  din nyɛ Africa dari ka bɛ booni li liga ka bɛ lahi lɔri di gbunni ŋmankpula. kpatinarisi zana ka bɛ mali n ŋariti ŋmankpula maa voya ka mali valisi gbana n lɔri li. Bɛ ŋmɛrili mi ni do shɛŋa bɛ ni zaŋ gbana lɔ di zuɣuri

### Cameroon

1950s, bɛ daa lɔ la dari n gili Cameroon tiŋgbani zuɣu ni, ni bɛ deei saamba n niŋ din ni, ka di daa bɛ yuui ka pahi Cameroon dalinli ni . Balafon orchestras, din mali 3–5 balafons daa nyɛla din niŋ bayana lala dari ŋɔ ni. Lala "orchestras" ŋɔ shɛba, kamanj Richard Band de Zoetele, daa nyɛla ban yuli du.

20th century sunsuuni bɛ tiŋgbani binkumda daa yna ka bɛ boli li bikutsi. Bikutsi ŋmɛrimi ni tɔbu kumsi ka bɛ ŋmɛri li ni kumsi din ji,  dala ni balafon. Ka paɣaba yiini di yila, bikutsi yila chanimi ni biɛhigu ni yɛlimuɣisira din bɛni mini paɣaba mini dobba taba bɔbu. Yuli nyabu polo, bikutsi zani la di naba zuɣu 1950s. Anne-Marie Nzie nyɛla ban pili li puuni yino. Ŋun daa ŋmɛri bikutsi m-pahi ka di chibiri n daa nyɛMessi Me Nkonda Martin mini, Los Camaroes, ŋun daa yina ni niɣilim buɣim jitaaya ni binyɛra pam.

Balafon orchestras nyɛla ban nyɛ yuya 50s  Yaoundé's bar scene, amaa di wumdiba bɔri la ʒɛmana taɣibu mini mini Messi Martin ni daa ŋɛrili shɛm, ŋun daa nyɛ Cameroon jitaaya ŋmɛra ŋun daa bɔhim di ŋmɛbu ka di nya o daa wumdi la Spanish balli-lahabaya wuligibu Equatorial Guinea, n-ti oahi Cuban mini Zairean rumba. Messi daa taɣi la niɣilim buɣum jitaaya maa ka di nyɛla o daa taɣi la mihi maa ni takari gbana, ka di ti binkumda maa "damper tone" di tiri   "thudding" kumsi din ŋmani balafon.

### Guinea
Balafon, kora (lute-harp), mini ngoni ( banjo yaan-nima) n-nyɛ binkumda balibu dibaa ata din tabi"griot bardic" kaya ni taɣada West Africa. Di yini kam tooi malila di ni be yaɣ'shɛŋa, tiŋ'shɛŋa, ni kaya. Guinea n-nyɛ balafon taarihi ni yina shɛli. Di ni niŋ ka "griot" kaya ni taɣada nyɛ din yiri zuliya ni n kpɛri zuliya ni maa,  Kouyaté zuliya ka bɛ nya ka bɛ gbubi *balafon*, ka 20th century niriba ban yina o zuliya ni zaŋli n wuhi dunia zaa

#### The Sosso Bala

:Fr:Sosso Bala nyɛla balafon, din be Niagassola, Guinea tiŋgbani ni saha ŋɔ ni, ka bɛ nya ka di ni n-nyɛ balafon zaɣi maŋli, ka bɛ mali li li yuun kɔbisinii nyaaŋa. Epic of Sundiata, Mali Empire lahabali din wuhiri di ni pili shɛm, wuhirim ni "griot" (ŋun yiini salindi niriba) ka o yuli booni Bala Faséké Kouyaté nyɛla ŋun daa che ka Sosso king Sumanguru Kante kpuɣi o tuma ni o ni daa gabi n kpe Sumanguru nayili nyaaŋa n-ti ŋmɛri  maliŋ binkumda. Sundiata Keita, ŋun daa pili Mali Empire daa ŋmɛ n yiɣisi Sumanguru, ka fa balafon maa, ka zaŋ "griot Faséké" n-niŋ ŋun guli li. Bɛ yɛliya ni di nyɛla din pa be o zuliya ni, Kouyatés, ka bɛ booni ba balafon saha ŋɔ.

Ti yi yihi lahabali maa yɛlimaŋtali nuu, lala Sosso Bala nyɛla binkumda din nyɛ saha shɛli dini ka  UNESCO m-pahi 19th Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity ni yuuni 2001.

### Senegal
Senegalese "National Anthem" yɛltɔɣa zuɣu nyɛla  "Pincez Tous vos Koras, Frappez les Balafons" (Sokam ŋmɛmi o *[[Kora (instrument)|kora]]s, kparisimi balafons*).

### Mali

Bɛ puhirila ʒemani chuɣu ni balafon, Triangle du balafon, saha ŋɔ di niŋdi la yuuni kam Sikasso, Mali tiŋgbani ni.

## Bafalon ŋmɛriba ban yuli du mini ensembles
Balafon ban yuli du shɛba n-nyɛ:
* Madou Kone, Balafon Master ŋun yina Burkina Faso, ka be Vienna, Austria
* Richard Bona, Cameroonian jazz yiliyiina
* Abdou Karim Diabate "Tunkaraba" King of Balafon, ŋun yina Tabatto yinkpaŋa, Guinea-Bissau
* Djiby Diabaté
* Kélétigui Diabaté, playing for Habib Koité's *Bamada* group
* Mamadou Diabate, Knight of the National Order of Burkina Faso (2016), Winner of the "Grand Prix" & "Prix de la Virtuosite de Festival Triangle du Balafon" in Mali (2012), Winner of the Austrian World Music Award (2011)
* Lassana Diabaté, Malian yiliyiina ŋun ŋmɛ Toumani Diabaté's *Symmetric Orchestra* mini Afrocubism
* Modibo Diabaté, ŋun yina Mali
* Zerika Djabate, Bissau-Guinean yiliyiina
* Djiguiya, ŋun yina Burkina Faso
* Danny Elfman ŋun yina Oingo Boingo
* Les Freres Coulibaly, Burkina-based balafon ensemble
* Stefon Harris, American jazz yiliyiina
* Dominic Howard of Muse ŋmɛla balafon o yili laɣinda din pahiri buyi ni, *[[Origin of Symmetry]]*
* Mory Kanté, o piligu tuma
* Aly Keita, Aly Keita mini Magic Balaphone, Malian balafon player
* Gertrude Kilian, DVD "The Balafon with Aly Keita & Gert Kilian", "Balafon Beat" / Verlag Zimmermann 
* Lawrence Killian, American jazz yiliyiina
* Mahama Konaté zaŋ ti John Cena, Burkina-based balafon ensemble
* Balla Kouyate, ŋun yina  Mali/Guinea, ŋun ba, Sekou "Filani" Kouyaté, nyɛ ŋun wubisiri Sosso Bala saha ŋɔ ni
* Mamadi Kouyate, ŋun yina Mali/Guinea, (Germany tum yuuni 2015), ŋun yab'doo Sékou "Filani" Kouyaté, nyɛ saha ŋɔ ŋun wumsiri Sosso Bala
* El Hadj Djeli Sory Kouyaté
* N'Faly Kouyate zaŋ ti Afro Celt Sound System
* Adam Malik, Burkina-based balafon ensemble
* Dave Mann, "jazz percussionist", ŋun tumdi ni Dave Brubeck Group
* Neba Solo (Senufo balafon laɣingu, ka Souleymane Traoré) ŋun yina Sikasso nyɛ di kpɛma
* Mama Ohandja, Cameroon binkumdi ŋmɛra
* Qasim, Burkina-based balafon ensemble
* Pharoah Sanders, American jazz yiliyiina
* Saramaya, Burkina-based balafon ensemble
* Raheel Sharif, British band leader ŋun daa tuui yina Senegal
* Bill Summers, American jazz yiliyiina, ŋun laɣimdi tumdi ni Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, mini Los Hombres Calientes
* Lonnie Liston Smith, American jazz yiliyiina
* Rokia Traoré, Malian yiliyiina, jitaaya ŋmɛra, mini "band leader"
* Le Troupe Saaba, Burkina-based balafon ensemble
* Momo Werner Wevers, German ŋun ŋmɛri balafon ko ni Ensemble M.Pahiya" (balafon mini classical guitar)
* N'Camara Abou Sylla (Guinea; Les Ballets Africains)

## Lihi pahi

* *Balafon* was the name of the in-flight magazine of Air Afrique
* Music of Guinea
* Music of Mali
* Marimba, covers the modern instrument which developed independently in both South America and southern Africa.

## Kundivihira

## Lahabali maa ni yina shɛli
* "BALAFON BEAT" by Gert Kilian, edition Zimmermann / Germany http://www.gert-kilian.com/bb/index.html
* "The Balafon with Aly Keita & Gert Kilian", edition "improductions" / Paris http://www.gert-kilian.com/DVDbalafon.html
* "Das magische Balafon" by Mamadi Kouyaté, Ursula Branscheid-Kouyaté, http://www.djembe-kora.de/mamadi.html

## Karim pahi
* Lynne Jessup. *The Mandinka Balafon: an Introduction with Notation for Teaching*. Xylo Publications, (1983)  .
* Eric Charry. *Mande Music: Traditional and Modern Music of the Maninka and Mandinka of Western Africa*. Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology. University Of Chicago Press (2000).  .
* Adrian Egger, Moussa Hema: *Die Stimme Des Balafon* - La Voix Du Balafon. Schell Music, .
* Gert Kilian "Balafon Beat", Verlag Zimmermann, Germany
* Gert Kilian "The Balafon with Aly Keita & Gert Kilian", édition "improductions" / Paris
* "Das magische Balafon" by Mamadi Kouyaté, Ursula Branscheid-Kouyaté / Germany / LEU-Verlag, Neusaess DVD

## External links

* Cora Connection: What is a balaphone?
* Gallery of balafon photos, including the construction process.
* ''The Making of a Mofu-Gudur Balafon'' An article with photos and illustrations on the construction of a balafon in northern Cameroon.
* http://www.djembe-kora.de/trommelbau.html a clip about the making of a balafon in Niagassola / Guinea

)