Summer Concert: Balla Kouyaté
Balla Kouyaté’s lineage goes back more than 800 years to Balla Faséké, the first of an unbroken line of djelis in the Kouyaté clan. The word “djeli” derives from the Mandinka language, meaning the oral historians, musicians, and performers who keep alive and celebrate the history of the Mandé people of Mali, Guinea, and other West African countries. Kouyaté’s dedication to carrying on his family’s hereditary role as a djeli and his musical virtuosity on the balafon (the West African antecedent of the xylophone) make him a great addition to our concert series around Ground/work 2025, which features a sculpture by the West African artist and master indigo-dyer Aboubakar Fofana.
Free.
Bring a picnic and your own seating.
Inclement weather moves the event to the Manton Research Center auditorium. For accessibility questions, call 413 458 0524.