BéréSanké Percussion, Kocassalé Dioubaté, Hand-made drums, Workshops, Performances

Hand-made African drums, instruments, music, workshops and performances.

Mandingo People

The Mandingo people are a tribe that live in West Africa, and are also known as the Mandinka, Maninka, Mandé, Manding, Malinké, or Soninké, depending on the region. The Mandingo culture is rich in history, tradition and music, which is kept alive by the tribe’s Griots - traditional historians, praise singers and master musicians.

 

The present-day Mandingo people are descended from the Ancient Empire of Mali, which ruled West Africa from the 14th to 16th centuries. The empire was founded by the legendary Sundiata Keita, and was famous for the generosity and wealth of the King Mansa Kankan Musa I, and for the fabled riches of the city of Timbuktu.

 

At its largest, the Empire of Mali was 2,000 kilometres wide and consisted of numerous vassal kingdoms and provinces. It extended from the coast of West Africa, both above the Senegal River and below the Gambia River, taking in old Ghana, and reaching south east to Gao and north east to Tadmekka. The capital city of the Empire was between present-day Mali and Guinea.