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| Djembé | |
|---|---|
| Name | Djembé |
| Names | Djembe |
| Classification | Membranophone |
| Developed | 12th century (traditional attribution) |
| Developed in | West Africa |
| Related | Talking drum, Dundun, Bougarabou, Ashiko |
Djembé is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originating from West Africa and central to musical traditions across several societies. It functions in ceremonies, dances, and social gatherings and has become internationally recognized through performances, recordings, and pedagogical programs. The instrument links to a wide network of performers, ensembles, festivals, and cultural institutions that have promoted West African arts globally.
The name traces to Manding languages and oral traditions associated with the Mali Empire, the Mali Empire being connected to figures such as Sundiata Keita and institutions like the Mande court. Early travelers and ethnographers from France, Britain, and Germany documented terms in fieldwork alongside collectors connected to museums including the British Museum, the Musée du quai Branly, and the Museum für Völkerkunde. Comparative linguists referencing corpora from Bamana and Maninka speakers have debated cognates found in archival materials held at the Royal Anthropological Institute and university collections at SOAS University of London and Université Cheikh Anta Diop. The lexicon appears in colonial-era reports by administrators from French West Africa and later in ethnomusicology monographs published through presses at Harvard University, Indiana University Press, and Oxford University Press.
Histories link the instrument to the medieval states of the western Sahel, including the Mali Empire, the Songhai Empire, and successor polities such as the Kingdom of Sine and the Kingdom of Saloum. Oral histories cite artisan castes like the Njarka and professional musicians associated with royal courts including those of Koumbi Saleh and regional centers like Kankan. European explorers—Mungo Park, René Caillié, Hugh Clapperton—recorded percussion in travel journals that entered collections at the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the British Library. Missionary accounts stored at the Vatican Archives and colonial administrative documents in Dakar and Bamako contributed to archival traces. Ethnomusicologists such as Alan P. Merriam and Simha Arom analyzed rhythmic systems alongside comparative studies by scholars at University of California, Los Angeles and Wesleyan University.
Traditional construction uses hardwoods favored in West African carpentry, with species referenced in forestry surveys at institutions like the Food and Agriculture Organization and regional botanical collections at IFAN (Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire). Ringed carving techniques resemble practices documented in woodworking treatises in collections at Smithsonian Institution and Musée du quai Branly. Drumheads use goat skin prepared following methods preserved in guilds and artisan families in towns such as Kissidougou, Siguiri, and Kankan. Rope systems echo knotwork found in maritime traditions connecting to ports like Goree Island and Saint-Louis, Senegal. Contemporary makers may incorporate modern hardware sourced via suppliers in Istanbul, Guangzhou, and Los Angeles supplying tuning rings, synthetic skins, and adhesives noted in trade catalogs archived by chambers of commerce in Bamako and Conakry.
Hand techniques include strokes and tonal articulation analyzed in pedagogy developed at conservatories and programs such as those at Conservatoire de Paris, New England Conservatory, and Berklee College of Music. Notation and transcription practices appear in works published by scholars at University of Ghana, Cheikh Anta Diop University, and SOAS University of London. Master drummers like those associated with ensembles such as Les Ballets Africains, Dizzy Gillespie collaborations, and companies linked to presenters at the World Music Institute have codified solo and ensemble techniques. Workshops at festivals such as WOMAD, Montreux Jazz Festival, Afropunk, and Festival in the Desert disseminate strokes and exercises to students from institutions including Juilliard School and Royal Academy of Music.
The drum functions within rites of passage, marriage ceremonies, and funerary practices across communities including the Bambara, Susu, Fulani, Mandinka, and Sereer. It is embedded in social roles performed by castes and professional lineages like griots comparable to practitioners in Wolof and Hausa regions. Ritual contexts intersect with spiritual practices influenced by movements associated with figures like Amadou Hampâté Bâ and organizations such as UNESCO which has engaged in safeguarding intangible heritage. Community ensembles perform at regional hubs including Kissidougou, Kankan, Ziguinchor, and diasporic centers like Paris, New York City, and London where cultural associations and NGOs maintain programs for youth outreach and cultural exchange.
Repertoire spans accompaniment for dances like those presented by Les Ballets Africains and repertoire shared with instruments such as the dundun, sabar, balafon, kora, and ngoni. Rhythmic patterns correspond to named forms preserved in songbooks and archives at IFAN and libraries at University of Cape Town and University of Ibadan. Collaborations with jazz, Afrobeat, and contemporary composers link to artists and groups including Fela Kuti, Miriam Makeba, Ali Farka Touré, Salif Keita, and Béla Fleck who incorporated West African percussion into studio recordings housed in collections of Smithsonian Folkways and major labels such as Nonesuch Records and ECM Records.
Global diffusion accelerated through migration, recordings, and pedagogy with notable centers in Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Lisbon, Seattle, and Toronto. Festivals and educational programs organized by bodies like WOMAD, Rainforest World Music Festival, Berklee Global Jazz Institute, and World Music Institute fostered intercultural projects with musicians from Brazil, Cuba, India, Turkey, and Japan. The instrument features in fusion projects alongside orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra and toured productions linked to promoters like Live Nation and presenters at venues including Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, and Lincoln Center. Contemporary instrument makers and NGOs collaborate with development agencies like UNDP and foundations associated with Ford Foundation and MoMA to support cultural entrepreneurship and craft preservation.
Category:African musical instruments Category:Percussion instruments