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Added by Jopie, at 01 January 2020
Description
This page is dedicated to all people interested in West African Music tradition and Djembé musical instrument.
The djembe is a goblet-shaped, West-African hand drum from 11” to 14” in diameter and about 24” in height. Technically, it belongs to the family of percussion instruments known as membranophones, because it consists of a shell covered by a membrane of rawhide, usually derived from goat or cow.
Culturally, the djembe is an African icon infused with lore, at least some of which is probably based on actual history. Since African history has not been documented in writing until recently, much of what is known about African drumming has been transmitted through the oral traditions.
Whatever the truth of djembe history may be, the drum is now an intrinsic part of West-African culture. Storytellers and healers find the djembe's brilliant and expressive voice the perfect complement to their art. The instrument is used to reconcile differences between the men of a community. Djembes are the instrument of dance for social occasions such as births, funerals, marriages, rites of passage and the planting and harvesting of crops, all of which have their own songs, dances and rhythms.
It's typical, on these occasions, for two djembes and a dunun to accompany the jeli, or storyteller in a communal circle. Women sing, clap and dance, taking turns, as the spirit moves them, at the center of the circle. The djembefola, or djembe master, leads the pace of the song and dance, adjusting the tempo as one dancer, or group of dancers, yields center stage to another. A single, traditional song that can last for hours is played on most of these occasions.
Notice that, traditionally, the djembe is not intended to be a performance instrument played in front of an audience. It is intended to be a participant and contributor to noteworthy occasions of the village to which it belongs, just as every other member of the village will contribute and participate, each in his or her own way.
It's believed that the djembe has magical qualities and is full of life, a life form that consists of three spirits: the spirit of the tree from which the drum shell was carved, the spirit of the animal from which the skin came from and the spirit of the drum's maker. Each drum inherits the characteristics of each particular spirit and is, therefore, unique, even to the point that the color of the drum skin is significant; djembes with spotted skins have a particular use, djembes with white skins have another use and djembes with dark skins have yet another use. Some djembefolas keep particular djembes for particular occasions.
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