Karinyan

The high pitched ringing of the metal being beat with another thin strip of metal, combined with its scraping provides an historical ambient voice to the chorus of singing and clapping women. For many Men and Women, the chorus of voices accompanied by the Karinyan is the first piece of music they hear upon entering the world and, often, the last they will hear upon their departure. Wassoulou music is performed mostly by women. Some recurring themes in the lyrics are childbearing, fertility, and polygamy. Instrumentation includes soku (a traditional fiddle sometimes replaced with modern imported instruments), djembe drum, kamalen n’goni (a six-stringed harp), karinyan (metal tube percussion) and bolon (a four-stringed harp). The vocals are often passionate and emphatic, and delivered in a call-and-response pattern.