A Griot Xalam Player - Senegal. The most common stringed instrument in Senegal. Griots of many ethnic groups play it, including the Wolof, Sereer, Mandinko, Malinke, Fulbe, and Tukuloor. The xalam generally has a dryer, more nasal sound than the Kora (see: 10951070). A Griot is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet and/or musician. The griot is a repository of oral tradition, and is also often seen as something of a societal leader due to his traditional position as an adviser to royal personages.