Prince Diabaté performs on the kora, a 21-string harp lute from West Africa. He taught himself to play against his father's wishes.

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Prince Diabaté is considered musical royalty when it comes to performing on the kora, a 21-string harp lute from West Africa.

But the Guinea-born musician's life could easily have taken a very different path.

Diabaté was raised in a griot (storyteller) family. His father was Djéli Sori Diabaté, a well-known kora player who disapproved of his son taking up the instrument.

"My dad wanted me to go to school," the musician said in a phone interview from New Mexico. He performs Saturday as part of the Diaspora Showcase Africa at the Jewish Community Center, 3800 E. River Road.

He added, "I talked to him and told him I'd like to play kora and do his job one day. He said no."

Diabaté continued to teach himself despite his father's wishes and today is one of the most recognized and well-respected kora players in the world.

Not only is he in high demand on the festival circuit, but his innovation with the instrument has earned him widespread acclaim.

His kora work has been heard in genres ranging from hip-hop to blues to reggae and has landed him commercial and guest cameos, including a spot on Los Angeles funk band Ozomatli's 2001 release, "Embrace the Chaos."

It also has brought him criticism from kora purists who believe Diabaté's use of the instrument has taken away from its status as an important West African tool.

Diabaté said that every time he hears naysayers, he just thinks of his mother — West Africa's first female kora player, according to the musician.

"She went through something similar," Diabaté said. "People would ask my dad why he would teach her to play kora. My dad said, 'Because she is my wife and my partner.' People try to give me problems as well. They say, 'You don't have to demystify the kora.' My mom said, 'Don't listen to them. Just don't forget to keep some of the traditions and then create something that fits your personality.' So I create my own style. Sometimes it is easy; sometimes it is not."

Diabaté's role in Saturday's event is just one part of a showcase that attempts to cover "the traditions and culture of the continent in six hours" through music, food and fashion, according to event creator and producer Kwevi Quaye.

Diabaté says he hopes the estimated 500 people who are expected to attend this year will come away with a sense of how highly the kora is regarded in West African culture.

"A long time ago, all the kings and heads of villages had griots," he said. "When the king wanted to give the people a message he would call his griot, tell him what he wanted to say, and the griot would compose a song on the kora and give it to people like a messenger. It has always been a very important instrument."