Balafon Player in Bamako Train Terminal

Sunlight slants low across the high arched ceiling of a restored train terminal in Bamako, tracing long, sharp shadows across the concrete floor. A musician sits cross-legged on a woven mat, his hands striking the wooden keys of a balafon with small wooden mallets. Rain streaks the tall, arched windows, blurring the green of the rainy season landscape outside. The heavy iron support beams of the station frame the player, their rusted textures against the smooth, polished wood of the instrument. Dust motes float in the narrow beams of light that cut through the gloom. at the edge is the reflection of the player's focused eyes in the glossy surface of a single wooden key.