The Balafon: The Senufo Xylophone and UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

Among the Senufo communities of Côte d'Ivoire (in West Africa, French-speaking, the world's largest cocoa producer) and neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, the balafon is not just a musical instrument but part of the rhythm of life. It has been inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and in 2024 it was listed jointly with the kolintang, a xylophone from Indonesia, which gives it a special familiarity for Asian readers.

Structure: a pentatonic xylophone with gourd resonators

According to UNESCO's inscription file, the Senufo balafon, known locally as ncegele, is a pentatonic xylophone:

The balafon can be played solo or in ensembles, and players draw on a wide range of rhythmic melodies.

Its role in community life

UNESCO's documentation notes that the balafon is played at festivals, at prayers in parishes and sacred groves, and in funeral music; during communal work, it is also used to keep spirits up. It marks important moments such as agricultural rites and coming-of-age ceremonies, and carries the transmission of values, traditions, beliefs, customary law and ethical codes, giving community members of all ages, from the youngest to the oldest, a sense of identity and continuity.

Transmission is also highly structured: learners start on children's balafons, then move on to full-size instruments under a teacher's guidance.

Bear in mind that the above is UNESCO's description of the tradition as a whole; actual practice may differ from village to village and family to family. Before taking part in or photographing related ceremonies, it is best to obtain local people's consent.

Three stages of UNESCO inscription

On safeguarding, the 2012 decision noted that all measures, from audiovisual documentation to raising public awareness, rely on the participation of the communities themselves; community leaders, musicians, dancers and other stakeholders took part in preparing the nomination and gave their free, prior and informed consent. The balafon is included in the cultural heritage inventories of each of the three countries.

The 2024 decision observed that the West African balafon and the Indonesian kolintang both belong to the xylophone family and share similarities in materials, shape, keys, functions, modes of transmission and values. In Indonesia, the kolintang is played in religious ceremonies and is linked to philosophical, ethical and aesthetic values; musicians, craftspeople, researchers and educators pass it on to younger generations through education, culture and research. The Committee also commended this intercontinental joint nomination as a model of cooperation between countries in different regions.

One line for Asian readers

The joint inscription of the balafon and the kolintang shows that the musical traditions of West Africa and Southeast Asia can be in dialogue. Next time you hear a balafon, try comparing it with the Asian xylophones you know.

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References: UNESCO – Decision 6.COM 13.29 (2011); UNESCO – Decision 7.COM 11.21 (2012); UNESCO – Decision 19.COM 7.B.58 (2024)