Archaeologists use song to herald findings in Guinea-Bissau dig

Bubacar Sane, a son of Tombon Sana who is the guardian of the Kansala site, rests at the site of the now-gone city of Kansala, capital of the Kingdom of Kaabu, in Guinea-Bissau, Sept. 24, 2024. Nino Galissa, a seventh-generation griot — or oral historian — composed the musical version of the Kansala 2024 excavation report. Here, he plays a traditional instrument known as a kora at his home in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, Nov. 28, 2024. Ibou Sane, a son of the guardian of the Kansala site, shows a site where warriors would most likely have come to bless their swords before going into battle, in Guinea-Bissau, Sept. 24, 2024. Residents of nearby Durabali, Guinea-Bissau, walk past the entrance sign to the site of the now-gone city of Kansala, the capital of the Kingdom of Kaabu, on Sept. 24, 2024.

For centuries, the history of the West African kingdom of Kaabu has been told mainly by word of mouth.