It's interesting how some of the Brasilian percussion that directly trace their roots to West Africa are in the latter category for this library (e.g. Shekere vs. Xequerê, and the Caxixi, which most often is part of the playing technique of the Berimbau), but until I receive my just-purchased license, I can't speculate on whether the source instrument beats more resemblance to one over the other.
Ago Ago Bells (aka Agogô) also have a more earthy West African origin (Gankogui), but are listed under Brasil for this library and thus probably follow the form of those bells, which in either case are considered a variant of the Cowbell.
Daf is a funny one, as there is no consensus on what to call the various Middle Eastern Frame Drums, with some insisting that the presence or absence of jingles dictates the name, others saying it's all about the depth, still others claiming the diameter determines the classifications, and some will say that it's a matter of whether it has a tunable head or not.
Most agree that the Riq is always a small one, somewhat akin to a tambourine, but there are variances there as well, and perhaps more importantly, the art of instrument design continues to evolve and hybrids or other permutations appear every few years, upending the traditions.
Although not covered in this library, the Bodhrán is a prime example of a world percussion instrument that in recent years has evolved far beyond its folk roots, and this has completely changed how it is played and its role in the music.
I am convinced that VSL is aware that these are not "museum pieces" per se, as they also included a hybrid instrument from Schlagwerk called the Pandariq, which is like a mash-up of a Brasilian Pandeiro and an Egyptian or Turkish Riq.
I look forward to receiving my license and trying this library on some projects, even though most of those parts are slated to be replaced by live miked instruments as time allows.
As this library contains so many instruments that no developer, to my knowledge, has yet covered, and the price is low for what you get, I consider it an important addition to my arsenal despite the fact that I am not using sample libraries much since the pandemic started and am almost exclusively using live instruments these days.
It is also great that VSL included examples of these instruments in traditional playing styles and phrases, alongside excellent documentation on the details of these instruments (if not always the model or manufacturer chosen, or other stats such as measurements).
