Kakaki, long trumpet.
The kakaki is a signifier of royal or aristocratic status in many Islamic cultures of West Africa. It was transmitted to the Hausa peoples through the Songhay empire. The spread of Hausa influence to neighbouring cultures in the 19th century led to the wider adoption of the instrument, and it is now also closely associated with Fulani emirs. The use of the kakaki varies between these cultures, but they normally feature in groups of at least four, accompanied by cylindrical ganga drums and occasionally with the algaita, the most common oboe of West Africa. The pitches and rhythms performed by the kakaki imitate those of speech. The group consists of a soloist and an ensemble who alternate in statement and response, intoning a text in praise of the group's patron.\
