Renowned African musician says the TSA destroyed his priceless musical instrument at JFK Airport

A famed Malian musician took to social media on Wednesday to mourn the loss of a priceless instrument he claims was destroyed by the Transportation Security Administration at JFK Airport.

Parisian-based artist Ballaké Sissoko accused the TSA of dismantling his prized kora during an inspection at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on Tuesday. A TSA spokesperson denies that the agency caused any damage.

The kora is a 21-string harp of African origin, according to Sissoko's official biography.

"This is an unprovoked and sad act of aggression, a reflection of the kind of cultural ignorance and racism that is taking over in so many parts of the world and that endangers the best of musicians from Africa and elsewhere," read the post on the Facebook fan page.

Pictures showing the extent of the damages and an image of a notice of inspection bearing the TSA logo were posted to Sissoko's official Facebook fan page. Sissoko says the damage happened just before he disembarked on a trip home to Paris.

A statement translated into English accompanied the images, saying, "The neck of the kora has been removed. The strings, bridge and entire, delicate and complex sound system of amplification have been taken apart . . . These kinds of custom-made koras are simply impossible to replace."

Sissoko was returning from a two-week tour across the United States and didn't realize what happened to the instrument until he got home.

The musician blamed the TSA on his fan page, sparking outrage among his fans and attracting international attention.

Bestselling fantasy author, N.K. Jemison, called the incident "horrific" in a tweet posted Wednesday.

Fellow bestselling writer Steve Silberman described the matter as "grotesque" on Twitter.

TSA denied handling the instrument in a statement released Thursday to The Guardian.

"It is most unfortunate that Mr Sissoko’s instrument was damaged in transport. However, after a thorough review of the claim, it was determined that TSA did not open the instrument case because it did not trigger an alarm when it was screened for possible explosives,” a TSA representative told The Guardian in an email.

Sissoko's manager, Corinne Serres, said she was "very shocked" that the TSA denied responsibility, The New York Times reported.

“It is totally ridiculous to say that the kora can have been disassembled by transport,” Serres said. “This kora travels worldwide and recently went to India, China, Japan, Finland.”

Serres also said the kora couldn't have been taken apart "without the help of some bad people touching it," according to The Times.

The TSA is adamant that the instrument case was not opened and that the notice pictured on Sissoko's fan page could have been placed there by anyone. Records show the case was screened, cleared, and loaded by conveyor belt onto the aircraft, The Washington Post reported.

TSA security regulations state that, "musical instruments must undergo screening when transported as carry-on or in checked bags."

Both Sissoko and Serres, have attributed ulterior motives to the incident.

In a statement to The Times, Sissoko said he often experiences racism while traveling.

“Many people don’t treat you normally and can be very arrogant,” he said in the statement. “I always try to keep calm to avoid problems."

"Would they have dared do such a thing to a white musician playing a classical instrument?” Serres said. She called the matter, "an unprovoked and sad act of aggression" and a reflection of cultural ignorance.

Serres also told The Times that Sissoko would proceed with a formal complaint to the TSA.

Digital media platform Okay Africa calls Sissoko "a contemporary master of the kora." He is recognized as an accomplished musician throughout the world and performs in many countries. Among the venues where he has performed is the Taj Mahal.

On his web site, Sissoko describes the kora as essential to his art. Sissoko began learning the kora at a very young age under his father's guidance.

"Ten fingers for twenty-one strings, and magic takes place, surely, calmly," Sissoko's web page bio reads. "Ballaké Sissoko enlaces us in his suave and crystalline sonority and his kora, magnified by his talent as a melodist and an improviser."

The biography says Sissoko is the son of Djelimady Sissoko, "a great master of the Manding Kora, a twenty-one-stringed harp whose crystalline sound has conquered the international public."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A Malian musician is blaming the TSA for ruining his invaluable kora at JFK Airport