Griot

The griot designates both a social status and a millennial musical tradition from West Africa, whose roots are traced back to the Mali Empire in the thirteenth century. Griots — jelilu in the Mande language — are the custodians of their communities' oral memory: poets, storytellers, genealogists, historians, and musicians all at once, transmitting their art from generation to generation through a hereditary apprenticeship system. Rooted in the broader world music family, this tradition transcends the framework of a music genre to constitute a living knowledge system in its own right.

Musically, griot music is structured around the kora — a 21-string harp-lute unique to West Africa — and the balafon, a wooden xylophone with gourd resonators. Singing alternates between spoken narrative and improvised melody, often in call-and-response form. Melodies are pentatonic, vocal ornaments are complex, and improvisation holds a central place in every performance. It differs from afrobeat in its acoustic grounding and its narrative rather than dance-floor function, and from afro-funk in the absence of American soul-funk influence. In cities such as Dakar and Bamako, contemporary griots increasingly incorporate electric guitars and amplification.

On the international festival circuit, SONA JOBARTEH is one of the most remarkable representatives of this tradition: the first woman to play kora professionally within a Gambian griot family, she embodies a renewal of the genre that reaches global audiences by carrying the tradition into spaces of contemporary creation. Her presence at world music festivals across Europe and beyond testifies to the universal reach of this ancient practice.

Discover 2 griot festivals on FestT and let yourself be transported by one of humanity's deepest musical traditions. Explore neighbouring genres like afrobeat and amapiano to traverse the richness of contemporary African music.