Editing Calabash (section)

=== Africa ===
Hollowed-out and dried calabashes are a very typical utensil in households across West Africa. They are used to clean rice, carry water, and as food containers. Smaller sizes are used as bowls to drink [[palm wine]]. Calabashes are used in making the West African instruments like the [[Shekere|Ṣẹ̀kẹ̀rẹ̀]], a Yoruba instrument similar to a maraca, ''[[Kora (instrument)|kora]]'' (a [[harp-lute]]), ''[[xalam]]''/''ngoni'' (a lute) and the ''[[goje]]'' (a traditional fiddle). They also serve as resonators underneath the ''[[balafon]]'' (West African [[marimba]]). The calabash is also used in making the ''shegureh'' (a Sierra Leonean women's rattle)<ref>[http://www.yale.edu/glc/gullah/04.htm image at Joseph Opala] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080518031713/http://www.yale.edu/glc/gullah/04.htm |date=18 May 2008 }}, "Origin of the Gullah", yale.edu.</ref> and ''balangi'' (a Sierra Leonean type of'' balafon'') musical instruments. Sometimes large calabashes are simply hollowed, dried and used as percussion instruments by striking them, especially by [[Fula people|Fulani]], [[Songhai people|Songhai]], [[Gur languages|Gur]]-speaking and [[Hausa people|Hausa]] peoples. In [[Nigeria]] the calabash has been used by some motorcyclists as an imitation helmet in an attempt to circumvent motorcycle helmet laws.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nigeria bikers' vegetable helmets |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7813418.stm |newspaper=[[BBC News]] |date=6 January 2009}}</ref> In [[South Africa]] it is commonly used as a drinking vessel and a vessel for carrying food by communities, such as the [[Bapedi]] and [[Zulus|AmaZulu]]. Erbore children of Ethiopia wear hats made from the calabash to protect them from the sun. South Africa's [[FNB Stadium]], which hosted the [[2010 FIFA World Cup]], is known as The Calabash as its shape takes inspiration from the calabash. The calabash is also used in the manufacture of [[puppets]].

Calabash also has a large cultural significance. In many African legends, Calabash (commonly referred to as gourds) are presented as a vessel for knowledge and wisdom.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |doi=10.1525/9780520949539-004 |chapter=Food and the African Past |title=In the Shadow of Slavery |year=2019 |pages=6–26 |isbn=978-0-520-94953-9 |s2cid=243438207 |first1=Judith |last1=Carney |publisher=University of California Press }}</ref>

<gallery>
File:Refreshing palm wine.jpg|Calabashes (''nkalu'' in [[Kikongo]]) are used to collect and store [[palm wine]] in [[Bandundu Province]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] (c. 1990)
File:Toumani Diabaté.jpg|The Malian [[Kora (instrument)|kora]] player [[Toumani Diabaté]] with his instrument (2007)
File:Ayumaré.jpg|Calabash [[puppet]] ([[Marionette]]) (2020)
File:Festival du Bout du Monde 2017 - Sona Jobarteh - 001.jpg|The African [[Calabash (percussion)|percussion calabash]] (2017)
</gallery>