Passing Down an Ancient Craft
On Monday, October 16, 2024, Mahamar Dicko—also known by his traditional name “Mayguida”—opened a new chapter at CFAIT (Vocational Training Center for Arts and Crafts) in Diré, northern Mali. He led a workshop on crafting the Djourkel, a traditional one-stringed instrument deeply rooted in Fulani and Songhai musical heritage.
Instrument Composition
Mayguida began by presenting the natural materials used in making the Djourkel:
- A dried wild gourd, used as a resonating body
- Goat or cowhide to cover the sound hole
- A dried balazan root (a local tree) for the neck
- A single nylon string for the melody
- Small nails and fragments of calabash to anchor the string
The students started by hollowing and smoothing the gourds. Then, they stretched and stitched the hide over the opening using strips of skin. Two holes were drilled to insert the neck made of balazan wood.
Hands-On Learning
After watching the master craftsman’s demonstration, the students reproduced the process on two more gourds. The drying stage took two days. They then learned how to shave and prepare the hide, string the instrument, and tune it by adjusting the string’s tension. A broken calabash piece was affixed at the back to help hold the string in place, while the other end was tied to the top of the neck.
In total, three Djourkels were built during the workshop.
Participants: 16 youth
Instructor: Mahamar Dicko (aka Mayguida)
Dates: October 16–18, 2024
Location: CFAIT, Diré, Mali
Instruments crafted: 3 “Djourkel” one-stringed instruments
Materials used: wild gourd, stretched hide, balazan root, calabash, nylon string
Add a Comment