A famed Malian musician took to social media on Wednesday to mourn the loss of a priceless instrument he claims was destroyed by the Transportation Security Administration at JFK Airport.
Parisian-based artist Ballaké Sissoko accused the TSA of dismantling his prized kora during an inspection at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on Tuesday. A TSA spokesperson denies that the agency caused any damage."This is an unprovoked and sad act of aggression, a reflection of the kind of cultural ignorance and racism that is taking over in so many parts of the world and that endangers the best of musicians from Africa and elsewhere," read the post on the Facebook fan page.
Sissoko was returning from a two-week tour across the United States and didn't realize what happened to the instrument until he got home. “It is totally ridiculous to say that the kora can have been disassembled by transport,” Serres said. “This kora travels worldwide and recently went to India, China, Japan, Finland.”
TSA security regulations state that,"musical instruments must undergo screening when transported as carry-on or in checked bags." In a statement to The Times, Sissoko said he often experiences racism while traveling. On his web site, Sissoko describes the kora as essential to his art. Sissoko began learning the kora at a very young age under his father's guidance.
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