Collection: The African Fiddle/Violin

In Ethiopia and Eritrea, traditional fiddles exist that are played exactly like the violin and produce similar sounds. These fiddles have their roots in stone-age Africa, long before modern Europe came into existence. 

Before famous million-dollar fiddle manufacturers ever conceived their instruments, fiddles were already being created and widely used across the African continent1. 

The Goje is a one-string fiddle from Nigeria. It features a gourd bowl covered with snakeskin to create a membrane head, similar to a banjo. Horsehair strings are suspended on a bridge, and it is played with a bow. 

Similar traditional fiddles can also be found in Ethiopia and Eritrea, demonstrating the rich musical heritage of Africa1. 

The banjo, another fascinating instrument, was invented and widely used in ancient Mauritania, the Sahel, and the Coast of Guinea. 

The Moors of West Africa (including Mauritanians) brought the banjo to the Americas, where it became an integral part of African American music. Thomas Jefferson even noted that the instrument proper to enslaved Africans was the banjar, which they brought from Africa1. 

The guitarro, a direct ancestor of the guitar, was widely used in ancient Mauritania (Maghreb), the Sahel, and Guinea. 

Introduced to Spain by African Moors in the 9th century AD, the guitarro became an essential part of Iberian music. When the Moors migrated to the Americas, they brought the guitarro with them, and it was widely played in the Spanish colonies. 

Although it was known in Latin American territories in the 17th and 18th centuries, it gained prominence in the southern region of the United States in the 19th century1.