An interview with Aliou Cissokho. A griot and a kora player from Senegal.
Q. Can you tell us what is a griot tradition?
A. O.K, I hear your question, but I want to tell you something. The griot tradition is from father to son. So when you are born as a new child, from seven years, your father starts to take care of you and show you the tradition and the culture. And then, you have to learn this instrument we are playing. You have to learn the instrument, how to build it and you have to learn how to play it. I had to play all these 150 songs, you know. That is the griot tradition.
The griot is in Africa to keep peace. The griot is a peacekeeper in Africa in general, because, we used to live with kings and when there was a problem it was only the griot who could stand and tell the truth and then make people happy with his music. At the same time, griots are historians too, because we keep the history from kingdom to kingdom, from generation to generation.
Q. You have been talking about the kora instrument, what is it?
A. The kora is an instrument, which has 22 strings. The traditional one is 21 strings. The kora is made by a calabash; a fruit. We use the fruit and then, the shell we use it as a kora, it is like a big round thing…
Q. For amplification?
A. Yeah, and that thing is… like…it's not wood, but a fragile material, and then when we build the kora we use the antelope skin, to round up that calabash. And then we put inside the wood and the strings. The kora comes from that creation. It has been here since the first creation because in history, the kora was created by the spirit, and then it came to the human being, you know. So it is a long history, but what I can tell you, the kora is an instrument, which looks like a harp with 21 strings…
Q. In other words it is an instrument that is very closely connected to nature…
A. Thank you, it is very close to nature because, everything on the kora is natural. It is like, the skin, the wood and the calabash, you know. So everything is natural and that's why the sound of the kora is so acoustic and very close to nature.
Q. You have played with such people like Ali Farka Toure at a concert here in Oslo. Who are the other artists that you have been collaborating with?
A. First in Senegal, I played with my brother Solo Cissokho and then, after I joined National Orchestra, I played kora and percussions there. At the same time I have done many recordings with other musicians like Amath Samb and others. In Norway I have been recording with artists like Carola, a very good singer from Sweden, Skumbalax, a group of Senegalese and Norwegian musicians with whom we played for "Verden I Norden Festival" and I've played with storbands (big bands) and other Norwegian musicians who play jazz blending with the kora.
Q. You have been taking part in a play recently here in Oslo. How did you feel as a kora player to be part of a theatre group?
A. I think it was very interesting. Most people do not understand and maybe they are not used to the instrument. But if you listen this thing we are doing it sounds very beautiful and I see that when I meet different musicians and play with them it is going very great. We mix very nice, you know. I try. I play the kora together with a fela, a traditional Norwegian violin, and these two instruments go very good together. And when it comes to modern instruments it goes very good too. So we need more promotion to give the message in general. We play some concerts in Oslo, which is O.K, but we want more, I think.
Q. We see that some European musicians have been promoting African musicians, like Peter Gabriel who promoted Youssou Ndour and the mbalax music as well as Paul Simon who played with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Do you think this is good, for African music or do you think that Europeans are just using African musicians?
A. I can't say using because music doesn't have borders. So I do not see there is a border, like European here and African music there. They are different of course, but when it comes to the music we do not see the borders. We communicate. Like we are serving. So I am serving the African culture, that is, the kora instrument, culture and traditional songs. Our forefathers played more than 150 songs and after our generation we create a lot more songs too which connect together with the modern. But we need more time for people to look back again. Not too much mordenising but at least we need to mix the music and maintain and make it better so Europeans musicians can feel comfortable and African musicians can feel comfortable too.
Q. How do the public receive your music in Scandinavia?
A. I think they really like it, especially when I play the kora in festivals here in Norway and Sweden. I see that every time I finish playing it is a lot of people who come and ask me what is this instrument, how was it made and where it comes from. So I can see that they really love this instrument I am playing. It is a pity though that you can not see often an African artist like me or my brother or someone playing traditional music in music festivals in general.
Q. So you feel that Scandinavians still need this type of music?
A. Yes, I think so. I think they like to hear this type of music and they must try to organise more festivals, which are mixed especially like Molde Jazz festival. It is nice if they start to mix in order to stop the monotony.
Q. As a Senegalese musician you see Africa is changing, culturally, politically and socially. Do you have any comments on this as an artist?
A. Today in Africa I can see that things are changing and people are really contributing. I take an example like in Senegal. Before it was very hard for musicians to have some promotion in the music industry but now after we change to democracy we try to put democracy everywhere. From the music conservatoire, the national orchestra and the recording companies. Even Youssou N'dour is contributing. He is doing a great thing by recording some musicians who do not have help, or possibilities to record. He is doing his best. Different people like me and my brother, when we go there we bring some new recordings. Our last recording was done last year and we brought the music to Senegal to show the people what we are doing here.
Q. What are your views on music piracy, which is widespread in Africa?
A. That is our main problem in African because there is a lot of piracy in Africa. From my country even, I can take an example. Some people in Sandaga, one market place in Dakar, just sit there and buy one cassette and put it in the machine and they can record twenty, fifty, hundreds or thousands of cassettes and sell them cheaper. They copy the music and the artwork illegally. But the problem is that they are many and it is very difficult to stop them.
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