The Mande people of West Africa, particularly in modern-day Mali, The Gambia , Guinea, and Senegal, have a deep-rooted tradition of oral history, music, and storytelling. One of the most significant instruments in this tradition is the kora, a revered 21-string harp-lute. Its origins are shrouded in both oral legend and historical accounts, making it a deeply symbolic instrument of the griot (jeli) tradition—the hereditary musicians and historians of the Mande world. While the legend provides a poetic explanation, historians trace the kora’s origins to around the 16th–18th century, particularly within the Kaabu Empire (an offshoot of the Mali Empire). The Kaabu Empire (1537–1867) played a key role in the kora’s spread, as it  was a major cultural and musical center where griots thrived. The Mali Empire (c. 1235–1600), under rulers like Sundiata Keita, relied heavily on griots to preserve history through music and poetry. Although the kora itself might have emerged later in Kaabu, it became the instrument of choice[…]