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École De Musique de Kirina

Kirina, Mali

Our friend Mahamadou Diabate— brother of Grammy Award-winning Kora player Toumani Diabate, and a wonderful musician in his own right – approached the Playing For Change Foundation about building a music school in his native country of Mali. Thanks to his help and guidance, PFCF broke ground on its third music school on the African continent this year: Ecole de Musique de Kirina (Music School of Kirina). The school is located in the village of Kirina, approximately 25 miles (40 km) south of Mali’s capital city, Bamako.

Kirina is a Griot village without any electricity, where the inhabitants live in humble straw roofed houses made of bricks that have dried in the sun's heat. The Griots play an essential role in Malian culture: they are the keepers of oral history and traditions, passing them on through music and poetry. The school will help the people of Kirina preserve and share their musical traditions, which have been slowly disappearing due to lack of teaching resources. Beyond the music school, we are also working to improve access to clean drinking water for the community, as well as provide solar power for the school.

The school opened its doors in October of 2010, and now offers classes in kora, djembe, balafon, and dance, as well as a workshop to teach the building and repair of traditional instruments. Many of the instruments used in the school are made by local artisans in Mali.

Photos of the school preparing to open

Photos of the school in action

  • The villagers of Kirina build their music school with support from PFCF

  • Un reportage sur le processus de création de notre dernière école de musique à Kirina

  • Esto es un reportaje sobre nuestra última escuela de música en Kirina

  • Baaba Maal performing in Kirina, Mali

  • Every week more than 300 kids attend free classes in kora, balafon, djembé, talking drum, dance, musical theory, traditional History, English and French. Kirina is a village whose musical traditions have been passed down through generations since the 13th century. The school is designed to preserve and transmit a unique cultural knowledge and create a better future for the new generations of Kirina.

  • Toumani Diabaté, Habib Koité, and Baaba Maal visit the music school of Kirina, Mali, created by the Playing For Change Foundation.

OTHER WAYS TO GIVE

$15

Djembe repair

Allows local craftsmen to replace the head of a djembe (hand drum)

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$50

Foundation cement

Provides five bags of cement to help build the foundation of a music school

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FEATURED STUDENT

Nadjo Kouyate
Francois Viguie

Nadjo Kouyaté is 10 years old and studies balafon at the music school.  His talent and sense of rhythm surprised our teachers since the very first balafon class. His grandfather was a famous local balafon player, born and raised in Kirina.  When he died he hadn't  transmitted his musical knowledge to his son who decided to go to Guinea to learn balafon in order to honor his father. He never

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NEWS

Apr 19, 2012

Work Begins on New Classroom in Mali

by Francois Viguie

Despite a political crisis in Bamako, and a very uncertain situation in the North of the country, the Music School in Kirina is thriving and we have started new extension works this week. This extension represents a crucial step for the development of the project and we are very excited about it. The first structure that we are building is an open-air dance classroom. The classrooms of the music school were too small to welcome all our dance students in optimal conditions and this new space will allow our fantastic dance teacher, Oumou Mariko, and his students to express themselves in an adapted space. The open-air classroom will also be a multitask space that will be used for music instruction, performances, and workshops.

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LIFE IN THE COMMUNITY

For more than 70 generations the Griot inhabitants of this village have been the keepers of African oral tradition. Music is in their blood, and this rich cultural heritage that dates back to the 13th century is alive and well in and the families that make their homes here.

Traditional West-African Music Education

Following the centuries-old Griot traditions, these classes focus on teaching traditional instruments such as Kora, Balafon, Tama, Djembé, and introduce an approach to musical theory. Classes are also given in dance, chant, English and French....… more

Tama

The Tama or "Talking Drum" is a traditional percussion instrument very popular all over West Africa. It is traditionally a Griot instrument and it is considered one of the oldest percussion instruments in West Africa. The particularity of this...

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Djembe

The djembé is maybe the most popular West African instrument. The djembé is a native percussion instrument in Kirina as its origins are traditionally located between Guinea (50 km south from Kirina) and Bamako ( 50 km north of Kirina).  In the...

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  • Mahamadou Diabaté

    Mahamadou is a Malian musician from a "griot" family that has played music since the 13th Century. He is a very talented, and has studied at the National Institute of Arts in Bamako. In addition to teaching classes in Kirina, he also serves as the school's creative director.

  • Seydou Dembelé

    Seydou is an English teacher and school administrator in Bamako, Mali. He began working with PFCF as a translator and project coordinator during the school's construction. He is now the head administrator of the school in Kirina where he also teaches French and English classes.

  • Oumou Mariko

    Oumou is a singer and a dancer living in Bamako, and has recently been performing and teaching African dance throughout Europe. Her natural joy and energy immediately convinced us that she had to be the chant and dance teacher for the children of Kirina.

  • Karounga Diabaté

    Karounga is the son of Keletigui Diabaté, one of the greatest balafon (traditional African xylophone) players in the country We are pleased to have him as Kirina's balafon teacher. Karounga is also an instrument crafter; he made the 10 balafon used by the students in Kirina.