My father Emile Snyder was a professor of African Literature and Languages, specializing in contemporary African Literature written in French and English. He taught at a number of universities, including the University of Wisconsin - Madison, the University of Dar- es Salaam, Tanzania, and Indiana University. In 1964 when he was just embarking on a career change from 17th century French literature to African Literature, he received a fullbright to do research on African contemporary literature in West Africa. While he was there he met and interviewed many emerging African authors and had a chance to visit quite a bit of the west coast -- thriteen countries in all. I have decided to post an amazing series of photos he took of a huge festival/procession in a small village that brought together a wide range of musicians and griots (itinerant praise poets.) You can see the entire collection in an album in the right hand side bar.
The photographs feature four key West African instruments, the kora (which griots use to accompany their performances) a sort of plucked harp built over a clabash gourd, the balafon, a xylophone made by laying wood over smaller hollowed out gourds, the calabash, covered with a beaded netting to provide a percussive sound, and of course the ubiquitous drums -- of which there are many kinds.
I am not sure exactly where these photographs were taken. My mother and I are hunting through our separate correspondance from the time to see if we can pinpoint where exactly this event took place and hopefully, provide more information. (Hey...I was nine...and there wasn't much room on the postcards I got from him!). But the back of the photos indicate they were developed in Cote D'Ivoire. So for now...I will let that suffice. These instruments are used all up and down the coast of West Africa so it's hard for me to be certain. However, I invite anyone who might have a better idea based on these photos to let me know!
Midori Snyder is the author of nine books for children and adults, published in English, French, Dutch, and Italian. She won the Mythopoeic Award for The Innamorati, a novel inspired by early Roman myth and the Italian "Commedia dell'Arte" tradition....
