 The earliest European reference to the kora in Western literature is in "Travels in Interior Districts of Africa" (1799) by the Scotsman 
Mungo Park.The most likely scenario, based on Mandinka oral tradition, suggests that the origins of the kora may ultimately be linked with Jali Mady Fouling Cissoko, some time after the founding of Kaabu in the 16th century.The kora is mentioned in the Senegalese national anthem "Pincez Tous vos Koras, Frappez les Balafons".