A traditional stringed musical instrument from Western Africa. It is thought to have originated from modern-day Mali, but some believe that, in antiquity, it may have originated from Ancient Egypt. It is thought that it is an ancestor to the African American banjo. 

The xalam or something like it is commonly played throughout Western Africa and its many variants include akonting (Mandinka) and n'goni.

The xalam, in its standard form, is a simple lute chordophone with 1 to 5 strings. The wooden body (soundbox) membranophone of the instrument is oval-shaped and covered with the hide of cattle. The strings of the xalam are typically made of 2 or 3 tightly wound strands of low-gauge nylon fishing line. These are fixed to the instrument's wooden neck by long and narrow leather strips and to its wooden bridge by cotton strings. By moving these strips, the instrument's tuning can be adjusted. The xalam usually has 2 main melody strings that are fingered by the left hand (like the strings of a guitar or banjo) and 2 or 3 supplementary strings of fixed pitch.