Djembe Drum

West African
Djembe Drum: A djembe is a
Percussion
rope-tuned skin-covered goblet
drum played with bare hands,
originally from West Africa.
The djembe has a body (or
shell) carved of hardwood and
a drumhead made of untreated
rawhide, made from goatskin
or cow skin.
Djembefola: one who plays
the djembe
 The Purpose of the Djembe
•
Made to be played in
groups with a high
level of interaction and
communication.
•
The rhythm and music
created is intended to
created an ecstatic
atmosphere for dance
at festivals, celebrations
and rituals.
Djembe Construction and Classification

The djembe is one of West

Africa's best known
instruments. This goblet-
shaped drum is traditionally
carved from a single piece
of African hardwood and
topped with an animal skin
as a drumhead. In western
understanding, the drum
belongs to the
membranophone class of
instruments in the
percussion family.
 History
Some
Some say
say the
the name
name of of the
the djembe
djembe came
came from
from
the
the Bamana
Bamana in in Mali,
Mali, who
who said
said "Anke
"Anke dje,
dje,
anke
anke be"
be" to
to call
call their
their people
people together,
together, as
as the
the
saying
saying translates
translates to to "everyone
"everyone gather
gather
together
together in
in peace.“
peace.“
West African Region
 Geography
The
Thedjembe
djembedrum
drumwaswascreated
createdduring
duringthe theMalian
MalianEmpire
Empireof of
the
the12th
12thcentury.
century.ItItspanned
spannedthe
themodern-day
modern-daycountries
countriesofof
Senegal,
Senegal,Southern
SouthernMauritania,
Mauritania,Mali,
Mali,northern
northernBurkina
BurkinaFaso,
Faso,
western
westernNiger,
Niger,the
theGambia,
Gambia,Guinea-Bissau,
Guinea-Bissau,Guinea,
Guinea,thethe
Ivory
IvoryCoast
Coastand
andnorthern
northernGhana.
Ghana.The TheMali
MaliEmpire
Empiregrew
grew
out
outofofan
anarea
areareferred
referredtotoby
byits
itscontemporary
contemporaryinhabitants
inhabitants
as
asMande.
Mande.Mande,
Mande,named
namedforforits
itsinhabitants
inhabitantsthe theMandinka,
Mandinka,
comprised
comprisedmostmostofofpresent-day
present-daynorthern
northernGuinea
Guineaandand
southern
southernMali.
Mali.The
Theempire
empirewas
wasoriginally
originallyestablished
establishedas asaa
federation
federationofofMandinka
Mandinkatribes
tribescalled
calledthetheManden
MandenKurufa
Kurufa
(literally
(literallyManden
MandenFederation),
Federation),but
butititlater
laterbecame
becamean an
empire
empireruling
rulingmillions
millionsofofpeople
peoplefrom
fromnearly
nearlyevery
everyethnic
ethnic
group
groupin inWest
WestAfrica.
Africa.
 Djembe Sound
The djembe can produce a
wide variety of sounds,
making it a most versatile
drum. The drum is very
loud, allowing it to be heard
clearly as a solo instrument
over a large percussion
ensemble. The Malinke
people say that a skilled
drummer is one who "can
make the djembe talk",
meaning that the player can
tell an emotional story.
 Making of the Djembe
ItItisisthought
thoughtthatthatthe
theBlacksmiths
Blacksmithsmademadethe thefirst
firstdjembes,
djembes,
making
makingeach eachdrumdrumcustom-fitted
custom-fittedto tothe
thedrummer
drummerwho who
would
wouldplay playit.it.This
Thismakes
makessense
senseasasthey
theywould
wouldbe bethe
the
people
peopleto tocut
cutthe
thetree.
tree.The
Themaking
makingof ofthe
thedrum
drumwas was
spiritual,
spiritual,and andthe theblacksmith
blacksmithwaswasobliged
obligedto tomake
makeofferings
offerings
to
tothe thespirits
spiritsofofthe
thetrees
treeshe
hecut
cutdown.
down.WithWiththe
thelengue
lenguetree,
tree,
aasacrifice
sacrificewould
wouldbe bemade
madeto toask
askfor
forpermission
permissionto tocut
cutthe
the
tree
treefor foraadjembe.
djembe.Once Oncethetheblacksmith
blacksmithfinished
finishedthe
thedjembe,
djembe,
ititwas
wasdelivered
deliveredto tothe
thedrummer
drummerwho whocommissioned
commissionedit, it,aa
member
memberof ofthe
thejeli
jelicaste.
caste.The
Thejeli
jeliare
aremusicians,
musicians,who whoareare
responsible
responsiblefor forthe
theoral
oralhistory
historyofoftheir
theirpeople.
people.This
This
remains
remainstrue trueto totoday.
today.
Historical Djembe
Significance of Name and Caste
Traditionally,
Traditionally,only
onlythose
thoseborn
borninto
intothe
thedjembe
djembefamily
family
would
wouldbebeallowed
allowedto toplay
playthe
thedjembe.
djembe.Castes
Casteshave
havelast
last
names
namesthat
thathave
havesurvived
survivedtotothis
thisday
dayand
andififyour
yourlast
lastname
name
(your
(yourfamily
familyname)
name)isisone
oneof
ofthose
thosefamilies
familiesborn
borninto
intothe
the
djembe,
djembe,ititisisyour
yourinstrument
instrumentandandpossibly
possiblyyour
yourjob
jobtotoplay
play
the
thedrum
drumfor forthe
thevillage.
village.
The
Thedjeli
djelicaste
castestill
stillexists
existstoday,
today,and
andisisresponsible
responsiblefor
forthe
the
traditional
traditionalmusic.
music.TheThedjeli
djelising
singand
andperform
performduring
during
rituals,
rituals,baptisms,
baptisms,weddings
weddingsand andsometimes
sometimesfunerals,
funerals,and
and
are
aretrusted
trustedwith
withthe
themusic
musicof oftheir
theirancestors.
ancestors.
 Spiritual Beliefs
Africans
Africans say
say that
that the
the drum
drum contains
contains three
three
spirits.
spirits. The
The belief
belief is that
is that the
the djembe
djembe drum drum
contains
contains the
the spirit
spirit of
of the
the tree
tree from
from which
which itit
was
was made,
made, thethe spirit
spirit ofof the
the animal
animal whose
whose
skin
skin is
is played,
played, and
and thethe spirit
spirit of
of the
the carver
carver or
or
the
the one
one who
who cut
cut the
the tree
tree and
and the
the people
people who
who
assemble
assemble thethe drum.
drum. We We would
would add add that
that
possibly
possibly the
the most
most important
important is is the
the spirit
spirit of
of
the
the ancestors.
ancestors.
 Djembe, Bass Drums & Song
In various villages in Guinea
and Mali, they often start with
work being done and a song is
sung to that work. Bells may be
added and then the bass drums
(dunun) and then the djembe,
in that order. To hear the music
of the song, the dance and the
drumming along with the
villagers clapping and moving
in a circle is amazing, uplifting
and entrancing.
 Main Themes of Rhythms and Songs
•
Rites of passage for men and
women
•
Circumcision
•
Weddings, Baptism, Funerals
•
Hunting
•
Tribute to Mothers & Fathers
•
Giving Birth & Fertility
•
Nature & The Earth: coming
of rain, harvest
•
Religion
 Song & Verse Form
Songs
Songsinclude
includeaccompanied
accompaniedand andunaccompanied
unaccompaniedsolos,
solos,duets
duetsand
andchoruses.
choruses.
Unaccompanied
Unaccompaniedchoruses
chorusesare
areananexample
exampleof a
of acappella singing.
cappella singing.Songs
Songsare
are
usually
usuallyeither strophic (split
either strophic (splitup
upinto
intoverses)
verses)or
orare
arein call-and-response form.
in call-and-response form.
 Marriage & The Wedding
Elderly woman dancing in traditional
costume: Wedding, Conakry, Guinea

Marriage is considered because it

solidifies relationships that enrich
communities and nations by bringing
forth new life and new hope. Marriage is
that cultural process which ushers in
new life. It has been a cherished and
most celebrated rite of passage since
the dawn of African civilization.
 Religion & Spirituality
Direct contact with the spiritual world
is achieved in this lifetime. The success
and good fortune of this life revolves
around maintaining a good
relationship and good communication
with the spiritual world. Thus in the
face of misfortune, ceremonies and
rituals are held in order to
communicate with the spiritual world
to find out the cause of the affliction
and to appease the spirit(s) in question.
The common means by which this
‘communion' with the spiritual world
is achieved is through trance and
possession - two of the major factors in
African religious practice.
Music and dance provide a means by
which trance and possession can be
attained within religious ritual. Certain
songs can be identified with certain spirits,
the reason for this being that these were
perhaps the songs that the spirits liked
best when they were alive. This means that
the music can call on a specific spirit to
come and attend the ceremony. In this
way, music can call on the specific spirit
whose presence is appropriate to the ritual
being held. Also, if the identity of a spirit
is unknown and must be revealed in order
to identify the cause of misfortune,
different songs can be played until the
‘right' music is found that causes the spirit
to come down and possess an individual
and reveal its identity.
 African
AfricanRhythm,
Rhythm,Dance
Dance&&
Accompanying
Accompanying Accompaniment
Accompaniment
Instruments
Instruments AAdancer
dancernotnotonly
onlyhears
hearsthe therhythms
rhythms
Caxixi played,
played,but butalso
alsouses
usesthem
themto todrive
drivetheir
their
Caxixi body
bodyto tomove
movewithwithit,it,transforming
transformingsoundsound
into
intomovement
movementwhich whichisisfeltfeltintimately.
intimately.ItIt
isisalmost
almostas asififthe
thedancers
dancersare aredancing
dancingthe
the
rhythm
rhythmwith withtheir
theirbody,
body,whereas
whereasthe the
musicians
musiciansare are‘dancing'
‘dancing'the therhythm
rhythmwith
with
their
theirfingers
fingersor orhands
hands(drums
(drumsand and
clapping).
clapping).ThereThereisistherefore
thereforeaa‘double
‘double
impact'
impact'of ofthese
thesehypnotic
hypnoticrhythms
rhythmson onthe
the
body.
body.In Insome
somerituals,
rituals,dancers
dancershave haveaa
Axatse
Axatse number
numberof ofidiophones
idiophonesattached
attachedusually
usuallytoto
the
thearms,
arms,ankles,
ankles,waist
waistor orskirt
skirtwhich
whichgives
gives
sound
soundto totheir
theirmovements
movementswhilst whilstadding
adding
to
tothe
thesounds
soundsalready
alreadybeing
beingcreated
createdbyby
instruments
instrumentsand andvoices.
voices.TheThebody
bodybecomes
becomes
aamusical
musicalinstrument. 
instrument. 
 Use of Bells in Everyday Life
•
• Farmers keep
Farmers keeptheir
theirherds
herdstogether
togetheror
orchase
chaseaway
awaywild
wildanimals.
animals.
•
• Street
Streetvendors play
vendors playspecific
specificsignals
signalsto
toget attention
get attentionof
ofpotential
potential
customers. 
customers. 
•
• Fitness
Fitnessgroups gather
groups gatheron
onSunday
Sundaymornings
morningsforforaarun
runthrough
throughthe
the
city
citystreets,
streets,motivated
motivatedand
andpaced
pacedby
bybell
bellrhythms.
rhythms.
•
• Kings
Kingsand
andpriests dramatize
priests dramatizetheir processions
their processionsand
andceremonies
ceremonieswith
with
bells
bellsand
andrattles
rattlesthat
thatmark
markeach
eachof
oftheir
theirmoves.
moves.
 African Dance
Musicians and participants often form a
circle, with the centre of the circle reserved
for dancers. Depending on the particular
rhythm being played, dances may be
performed by groups of men and/or
women with choreographed steps, or single
dancers may take turns at performing short
solos. The lead djembe's role is to play solo
phrases that accentuate the movements of
the dancers. Often, the aim is to "mark the
dancers' feet", that is, to play rhythmic
patterns that are synchronized with the
dancers' steps. Individual solo dances are
not choreographed, with the dancer freely
moving in whatever way feels appropriate
at that moment. Marking a solo dancer's
feet requires the lead djembefola to have
strong rapport with the dancer, and it takes
many years of experience for a djembefola
to acquire the necessary rhythmic
repertoire.
 Traditional
Traditional Costumes
Costumes
••
West
West African
African ••
Girl
Girl from
from Bamako,
Bamako,
Drummers
Drummers in in Traditional
Traditional
Traditional
Traditional Costume
Costume
Costume
Costume & &
Headdress
Headdress
Animal Costume
 Local
Local Festivals
Festivals
•
• Women
WomenDancing
Dancingin
inConakry,
Conakry,Guinea
Guinea
•
• Woman
WomanDancing
Dancingin
inBamako,
Bamako,Mali
Mali
 Other African Instruments
Sabar: Senegalese drums played by sticks and
used to communicate with neighboring villages,
for dance rhythms and rituals.
Kamelen Ngoni (African Harp): String
instrument for song, hunting and
ceremonial purposes. It is made of wood
and dried animal skin stretched over it.
 Celebration
Celebration
•
• Women
Womendancing
dancingat
atwedding
wedding
•
• Man
Manplaying
playingthe
thesangbang
sangbang
 African
African Village
Village Architecture
Architecture
••
Gurunsi
Gurunsi Village,
Village, ••
Dogon
Dogon Village,
Village, Mali
Mali
Burkina
Burkina Faso
Faso
 African Proverbs
“Until
“Until lions
lions tell
tell their
their tale,
tale, the
the story
story of
of the
the
hunt
hunt will
will always
always glorify
glorify the
the hunter.”
hunter.”
“If
“If we
we stand
stand tall
tall it
it is
is because
because we
we stand
stand on
on
the
the shoulders
shoulders of
of many
many ancestors.”
ancestors.”
“Don't
“Don't tear
tear down
down aa fence
fence until
until you
you know
know
why
why it
it was
was put
put up.”
up.”
“It
“It takes
takes aa village
village to
to raise
raise aa child.”
child.”
 Djembe Masters
Fadouba
Fadouba Oulare,
Oulare, Faranah
Faranah -- Guinea
Guinea
 Djembe Masters
Mamady
Mamady Keita,
Keita, Kankan
Kankan Region
Region –– Guinea
Guinea
 Djembe Masters
Famoudou
Famoudou Konate,
Konate, Hamana
Hamana Region
Region –– Guinea
Guinea
 Contact details

Marianthe Leou

Email: marianthileou@gmail.com

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