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- The akonting ([ə'kɔntiŋ], or ekonting in French transliteration) is the folk lute of the Jola people, found in Senegal, Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. It is a banjo-like instrument with a skin-headed gourd body, two long melody strings, and one short drone string, akin to the short fifth "thumb string" on the five-string banjo. Jola oral tradition places the birthplace of the akonting in the village of Kanjanka in Lower Casamance (Senegal), near the banks of the Casamance River. The name of the instrument's home village is recalled in the most common tuning pattern for the akonting's three open strings (from the 3rd short "thumb" string to the 1st long melody string): kan (the 5th note of the scale, tuned an octave higher), jan (root note), ka (flatted 7th note). Like in the traditional old-time/folk styles of playing the 5-string banjo, the akonting is tuned in different tunings. Using the kanjanka tuning pattern of 5/1/-7, a common tuning in Casamance is dGF. In Gambia, for another variant the 1st long melody is raised a semitone (half-step) higher to make a natural 7th note, as in cFE. Gambian Jola scholar/musician Daniel Laemouahuma Jatta, who pioneered the research and documentation of the akonting in the mid-1980s, describes the music of his people's folk lute as follows: The music of the akonting is short sustained notes that are played over and over again. Usually they are between two to three notes. The mechanics involved in playing the akonting is the regular sounding of the short string (drone string) when playing any melody. It acts as a drum to add beauty to the melody. The middle string is also sometimes used as drone string. All the noting is done on the long string.The music of the akonting has been and still is folk music. Akonting players do not play music to confer status to their patrons. They play their music, usually in the evenings after work to relax and have a nice time before going to bed. Also when in their rice field bars (Hu Waa in Jola) they play the Akonting in the evening after working in their rice fields and drink their palm wine that they are expert in tapping from the palm tree. The music of the Akonting deals with all matters of life and does not need to be augmented by any other instrument to be danceable. It is rhythmic enough to enable one to dance. The akonting is practically identical to the buchundu of the related Manjago people (also Man'yago, Manjaku, Manjaco and Manjaca) of Gambia and Guinea-Bissau, as well as the busunde of the Papel people and the kisinta of the Balanta people, both of Guinea-Bissau. Recent findings presented by researchers Daniel Laemouahuma Jatta, Ulf Jägfors, and Shlomo Pestcoe at The 8th Annual Banjo Collectors Gathering (December, 2005) – an annual international conference of the foremost collectors and scholars of 19th and early 20th century banjos, which also serves as the principal forum for presentations of new research on the banjo's history and organology – indicate that the banjo is probably descended from the many different types of gourd-bodied folk/artisan plucked lutes found throughout West Africa, like the akonting and its aforementioned Senegambian siblings. Other varieties include the Frafra koliko (Ghana), The Kotokoli (also Tem or Temba) lawa (Togo, Benin and Ghana), the Gwari kaburu (Nigeria), and the Hausa gurmi, komo, komsa and wase (Nigeria, Niger, Ghana), to name but a few. The earliest forms of the banjo were, in fact, very similar gourd-bodied lutes, which enslaved West Africans in the Caribbean began making and playing sometime in the early 17th century. (en)
- La Ekontingo (france ekonting) estas kordinstrumento de Senegalo, rilata al banĝo, tiele ia speco de gitaro. Ĝi havas tri ŝtalajn nilonajn kordojn. La tonoj estas D, G, F aŭ C, F, E. La nomo estas de volofa lingvo. (eo)
- L'ekonting, akonting ou econtine est un instrument à cordes africain. C'est un ancien luth rustique originaire du pays diola en Casamance au Sénégal, en Gambie et en Guinée. Il est notamment employé dans la musique sénégalaise. C'est un instrument similaire au bunchundo des Manjaques, au busunde des Papels, au gambra des Haratins, au gullum des Kilbas, aux gurmi, komo, komsa et wase des Hausas, au kaburu des Gwaris, au kibewe des Konkombas, aux kisinta et kusunde des Balantes, au koliko des Frafras, au konde des Bissas, au lawa des Kotokolis, au ngopata des Bujogos, au ngulang des Banas et au xalam gesere des Mandingues. L'entofen a lui une forme ovale plutôt que sphérique. Il serait l'ancêtre du banjo et il ne faut pas le confondre avec la kora, le bolon, le n'goni, qui sont des harpes-luths. (fr)
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- La Ekontingo (france ekonting) estas kordinstrumento de Senegalo, rilata al banĝo, tiele ia speco de gitaro. Ĝi havas tri ŝtalajn nilonajn kordojn. La tonoj estas D, G, F aŭ C, F, E. La nomo estas de volofa lingvo. (eo)
- The akonting ([ə'kɔntiŋ], or ekonting in French transliteration) is the folk lute of the Jola people, found in Senegal, Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. It is a banjo-like instrument with a skin-headed gourd body, two long melody strings, and one short drone string, akin to the short fifth "thumb string" on the five-string banjo. Gambian Jola scholar/musician Daniel Laemouahuma Jatta, who pioneered the research and documentation of the akonting in the mid-1980s, describes the music of his people's folk lute as follows: (en)
- L'ekonting, akonting ou econtine est un instrument à cordes africain. C'est un ancien luth rustique originaire du pays diola en Casamance au Sénégal, en Gambie et en Guinée. Il est notamment employé dans la musique sénégalaise. Il serait l'ancêtre du banjo et il ne faut pas le confondre avec la kora, le bolon, le n'goni, qui sont des harpes-luths. (fr)
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