Travel Guide Niagassola

This village, lost at the north-eastern end of the country towards the border with Mali, 120 km from Siguiri, is famous because it is home to the famous Sosso Balla, the oldest balafon in Guinea. Its origins are mysterious, but it is said to have belonged to the king of Sosso, Soumaro Kanté, in the 13th century. After the famous victory of Kirina, Soundiata Keïta took the instrument and left it in the custody of his griot Balla Fasséké Kouyaté, in 1237, during the charter of Kurukan Fuga. Thereafter, the instrument was entrusted to the eldest member of the oldest branch of the family, living in Mali at first, and after the 18th century, in Niagassola.