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TSA destroys prominent Malian musician's custom-made instrument

#Mali #BallakéSissoko #JFKAirport #TSA #Kora One of Mali's most prominent musicians has criticized the Transportation Security Administration after his "impossible-to-replace" instrument was destroyed by agents at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. Ballaké Sissoko told NBC News via email that his custom-made kora — a 21-string bridge-harp used extensively in West Africa — was "totally destroyed." "Normally they just open the flight case because of the strange shape of the instrument and case," he said. "This time, they disassembled and broke it." Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings. Calling it a "terrible situation," he added that he hoped "to get an apology at some point." In an earlier  Facebook post  about the incident, Sissoko, 52, said he discovered the instrument in pieces Tuesday at his home in Paris. He said...