The balafon of the Senufo communities of Mali, Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire is a pentatonic xylophone composed of eleven to twenty-one keys of varying lengths arranged on a trapezoidal frame with gourd resonators of varying sizes arranged beneath. Under the instruction of a teacher, one first learns to play a children's balafon before advancing to full-size ones. Played solo or as part of an ensemble during festivities, prayers, work, funerals and more, the balafon is a symbol of community identity.

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