Zilin

Zilin, also written zinli, is a traditional music and dance of the Fon people of the Abomey region of Benin, performed principally at funerals and lineage commemorations. An ensemble of kpezin hand drums, a clay pot, iron bells and a basket rattle weaves dense polyrhythms beneath responsorial singing in Fon, led by a singer who trades phrases with the chorus. Created, by tradition, at the royal court of Abomey, zinli retains a respected ceremonial standing in Benin, and its vocal style has passed into modern Beninese popular music.