The kora — a 21-string harp-lute carved from a halved calabash gourd — is the voice of Mandinka griots across the Senegambia. For centuries, hereditary jali families have used it to sing praise, recount lineage, and preserve the oral histories of West African kingdoms.

This design system draws from the instrument's material palette: sun-warmed calabash beige, deep indigo embroidered cloth, brass tack rosettes, and the sober serif lettering of 1970s Mandinka concert flyers. Every surface carries the warmth of hand-pressed ink on matte paper.