Niagassola
Encyclopedia
Niagassola is a town
and sub-prefecture
in the Siguiri Prefecture
in the Kankan Region
of north-eastern Guinea
.It is located near the border with Mali
.
It has no electricity and three water pumps.
The town is the home of the world's oldest balafon
and an important object for the Maninka people, the 13th century Sosso-Bala, which has been labeled as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
by UNESCO
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and sub-prefecture
Sub-prefectures of Guinea
The Communes of Guinea or sub prefectures known in French as sous-prefectures are the third-level administrative divisions in Guinea...
in the Siguiri Prefecture
Siguiri Prefecture
Siguiri is a prefecture located in the Kankan Region of Guinea. The capital is Siguiri. The prefecture covers an area of 15,500 km² and has an estimated population of 244,000.-Sub-prefectures:...
in the Kankan Region
Kankan Region
The Kankan Region is located in eastern Guinea. It is bordered by the countries of Mali and Côte d'Ivoire and the Guinean regions of Nzérékoré and Faranah.Prefectures of Kankan Region include:*Kankan Prefecture*Kérouané Prefecture*Kouroussa Prefecture...
of north-eastern Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
.It is located near the border with Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
.
It has no electricity and three water pumps.
The town is the home of the world's oldest balafon
Balafon
The balafon is a resonated frame, wooden keyed percussion idiophone of West Africa; part of the idiophone family of tuned percussion instruments that includes the xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel, and the vibraphone...
and an important object for the Maninka people, the 13th century Sosso-Bala, which has been labeled as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness on intangible cultural heritage and encourage local communities to protect them and the local people who sustain these forms of cultural...
by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
.