Cultural Practices and Expressions Linked to the Balafon of the Senufo Communities of Mali, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast

The Balafon instrument of the Sinofu groups is a pentatonic xylophone consisting of eleven to twenty-one keys of different lengths, made of wood, and arranged on a trapezoidal frame also made of wood or bamboo. Sounds are produced by striking the keys with wooden sticks with a rubber club attached to the end.
Balafon music is played solo or as part of an ensemble and is built on a set of multiple rhythmic melodies. Practice takes place during ceremonies and during prayers in parishes and in sacred woods, and it supports the process of teaching the value systems, traditions, beliefs, customary law and moral codes that govern society and individuals.

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Cultural Practices and Expressions Linked to the Balafon of the Senufo Communities of Mali, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast was inscribed in 2012 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast.