The Banjo comes to be celebrated June 13. The Banjo was
brought to America in the 17th century by Africans. It is the
only Western stringed instrument that has a vellum belly.
The common African stringed instruments are the musical
bow, lute, harp, lyre, and Zither.
Professional musicians among the people of Gambia
play the kora, which is a 21 string harp-lute. The xalam is
a plucked lute which is similar to the African-American
banjo. It is commonly used in Senegal bY Wolof praise
singers whose songs laud(praise) significant people.
The banjo has a few other names it goes by:
banjar, bangie, banjer, banza. The banjo was played by Africans
in the 17th century era in America. The Africans made these
instruments with gourds, wood, tanned skins, and
used either hemp or gut for the strings.
( It’s amazing what can be used to make instruments.)
The Banjo resembled those instruments by the Moors,
who lived north of the Sahara.
You can find this information here:
http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/231/The_Banjoan_African_instrument_
