BRATTLEBORO — Sean Gaskell will give a Friends of the Library fundraising concert on the Kora, an ancient, 21-stringed harp from West Africa, at Brooks Memorial Library on Friday, April 15, at 7 p.m. The performance will feature traditional songs - the heart and soul of the Kora's musical repertoire - and some of Gaskell's own compositions.
The Kora is native to the Mandé peoples, who live within the countries of Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea Bissau. The music is traditionally played by oral and musical historians known as Griots.
Many songs tell ancient stories of war and hardship; others praise people of high political status and those who helped expand the Mandé Empire. Though the Kora is 300 years old, some commonly played songs can be traced back 800 years to the Mandé Empire's founding.
Gaskell, who is from North Carolina and has studied extensively under the instruction of Malamini Jobarteh and Moriba Kuyateh of Brikama, and Kane Mathis of Brooklyn, N.Y., has been featured at numerous festivals in the United States, Gambia, and Senegal.