National Museum of Music

A small and beautifully curated museum displaying the traditional instruments of Burkina Faso and its neighbours: the balafon, the kora, the talking drum, the one-string fiddle, the long Mossi trumpets used at royal ceremonies. Labels are mostly in French but the staff is generous with explanations and demonstrations.

It is one of the few places in West Africa where you can hear several of these instruments played by people who actually know how — phone ahead or ask on arrival about live demonstrations. The shop sells decent local CDs and a few instruments suited to travellers.

things to do museum
A story
Burkina Faso has more recognised ethnic groups than almost any other West African country, and each has its own musical tradition. The museum's founder, Massa Makan Diabaté, spent years tracking down representative instruments from every part of the country before the collection opened in the early 1990s.