This is a decorated calabash guitar with a bow for playing the single string. A wooden stick forms the neck of the guitar and hanging threads have been added as decoration. It comes from West Africa. Dried calabashes or gourds were widely used to make bowls and bottles as well as musical instruments.
© National Museums Liverpool
Accession reference: National Museums Liverpool, Ethnology Collection 22.11.24.8
Themes
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Africa before Transatlantic Enslavement
The history of Africa and African people does not begin nor end with transatlantic slavery. Understand what Africa was like and what the continent lost as a result of the trade.
Background Reading
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The Lost Libraries Of Timbuktu
Until recently, many commentators on Africa claimed that African societies had no tradition of writing. With the rediscovery of ancient manuscript collections, some dating back to the 8th century AD, this perception is changing.
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Introduction To Various African Kingdoms