Renowned Mali musician claims TSA left custom-made instrument ‘in pieces,’ calls alleged incident racist
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An internationally renowned musician is claiming TSA destroyed his one-of-a-kind custom-made instrument following a two-week U.S. tour.
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Famous Mali kora player Ballaké Sissoko was flying Air France back home to Paris out of JFK International Airport in New York on Tuesday night. The musician said he checked his kora, a 21-stringed instrument, “with its state-of-the-art amplification system,” in a hard case for the overnight flight.
Famous Mali kora player Ballaké Sissoko is claiming TSA destroyed his one-of-a-kind custom-made instrument following a two-week U.S. tour. (Photo by Paul CHARBIT/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
However, once Sissoko returned to his home and opened the case, he claims he discovered his prized instrument was in pieces and there was a note from the TSA, written in Spanish, left in the case that said it “may have been searched for prohibited items,” a post on his Facebook shared.
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“The neck of the kora has been removed. The strings, bridge and entire, delicate and complex sound system of amplification have been taken apart. The kora is in pieces,” he posted on Facebook, along with photos of the dismantled instrument and TSA form.
“Even if all the components that have been dissembled were intact, it takes weeks before a kora of this caliber can return to its previous state of resonance. These kinds of custom-made koras are simply impossible to replace.”
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The Facebook post slammed the TSA for its alleged “unprovoked” actions, and claimed the move was racially motivated.
“Would they have dared do such a thing to a white musician playing a classical instrument? What does this tell us about the attitude of the administration towards African musicians? This is an unprovoked and sad act of aggression, a reflection of the kind of cultural ignorance and racism that is taking over in so many parts of the world and that endangers the best of musicians from Africa and elsewhere,” the post read, comparing the dismantling to jihadists threatening to “silence Mali’s great musical heritage.”
The post on Facebook received dozens of comments and hundreds of shares supporting the famous musician.
“So sad to hear this, your music has healed me in so many ways,” one fan wrote.
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“I am nauseous that such abuse should happen. For so many musicians I know, their instruments are their safe haven, therapist, and friend,” another wrote.
In a statement to Fox News, TSA claims the instrument was not opened by TSA before it was cleared.
“It is most unfortunate that Mr. Sissoko’s instrument was damaged in transport, however, after a thorough review of the claim, it was determined that TSA did not open the instrument case because it did not trigger an alarm when it was screened for possible explosives,” the statement read.
