"Anyone who plants a tree before they die has not lived in vain", they say. This proverb is a good description of the life of the great Benin ethnologist, Alexandre Sènou Adandé. He was able to serve future generations by helping to create the museum that today bears his name. The museum houses a large collection of old objects, especially musical instruments representative of a specific Benin ethnic group, the Goun. This is how I came to be captivated by the adjalin or raft zither during my visit to the museum.
The adjalin is a very old musical instrument that can be found today in the old communities of Porto-Novo. It is played by the Goun, the dominant ethnic group in southern Benin. The adjalin exemplifies the great imagination and genius of mankind in using nothing more than a few bamboo stalks to create an extraordinary musical instrument that can make many people get up and dance. At first glance, the adjalin resembles a pile of firewood but it is much more than that.
The great thing about this instrument, besides the fact that it is very easy to handle, is that only bamboo and its by-products, are required in its construction. As the name indicates, it is a sort of horizontal zither in a rectangular shape made from 15 bamboo stalks 65 cm in length and 25 cm wide, arranged as a raft and attached together by cords. Like the kora (harp lute), the adjalin tends to gather a crowd of people who are attracted by the harmonious sounds of its percussion. They are carried away by the soothing melody, like cobras charmed by the music of a magic flute. When the tam-tam and gong join in, enthusiasts are quick to jump into the circle and dance as if they were possessed by musical demons.
Without a doubt the adjalin is one of the best traditional musical instruments in Benin. Since I discovered it, my appreciation for the traditional instruments of Benin has grown a great deal. All my brothers and sisters in the rest of the world who read this should discover this instrument right away! It awaits you.
