The bilil is an aerophone and consists of a cylindrical pipe and one single reed. It is an idioglote clarinet, the reed of which is made of the same material as the main body of the instrument and is cut out from the wall of the instrument but is still attached to one side.
The bilil usually has two or four finger-holes, but others with three, five or six holes were also mentioned by the musicians. The distance between each of the finger-holes is not standardized and is determined by the position in which the fingers are held in a comfortable position during play (usually the distance between the index and the middle finger). If there are two finger-holes, the distance is not determined by the position of the fingers because only the two index fingers are used. This means that there are many variations in pitch, and this, together with the differences in the length of the pipe, in turn means that there are no standard pitches or intervals. The bilil also has no set repertoire. The timbre determines the quality of the instrument.
The musician makes his instruments just before he begins to play and it is usually discarded after playing.
It is generally accepted that the bilil was adopted from the Fezza culture. The name is said to come from a song about "the camel's journey", in which the word bilil occurs many times. The same is true among the Teda, where the bilil is played by shepherd boys who travel around with camels. The status of this non-native instrument makes it difficult for the bilil to be integrated further in socio-musical life.
See also: BRANDILY, M., Instruments de musique et musiciens instrumentistes chez les Teda du Tibesti, RMCA – Human Sciences, Annals Vol. 82, 1974
© KMMA/Monique BRANDILY