The Kora is sometimes desribed as an "African Harp", but is it?
Let's look at the definition...
Harp: An instrument having an upright triangular frame consisting of a pillar and a hollow back containing the sounding board.
That doesn't sound much like a Kora. A Kora does not have a soundboard or pillar.
So what category is it?
Technically a kora is a "double-bridged spiked lute"
Why? Let's look at the definition...
Lute: Any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body.
This makes sense. A kora is more like a guitar than a harp. The two sides to the bridge make it "double bridged" and the neck going trough the body makes it "spiked"