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A West African Djembe Drum
Djembes and dunun drums have become very popular in North America
The djembe is a goblet-shaped drum, carved from a hardwood tree and headed with a thin goatskin. The dunun are cylindrical drums with goat or cowhide heads on both ends. We use a set of three dunun, called kenkeni, sangban, and dununba, with bells mounted on them.
West African Styles
We teach rhythms, songs, and dances from several West African cultures, including those of the Malinke, Ga and Ewe people. Malinke rhythms such kassa, lolo, mendiani, abondan, kakilambe, kuku, fankani, balakulanjan, djagbe, moribayassa, sewa, tiriba, sorsonet, garengadon,soli, makru, yankady, and zaouli. are played on djembe and dunun drums. The dances include choreography for individuals and groups, celebration, flirtation, masked ritual, and initiation.
We also teach rhythms, dances and songs from the Ga and Anlo Ewe people of Ghana and Togo. These rhythms include kpatsa, tokoe, kpanlogo, gahu, gota, slow and fast agbekor, bawa, circle atsia, and horsetail atsia. The dances include choreography for individual and groups, celebration, flirtation, and initiation. The songs are in Ewe, Ga, and English, usually sung in a call and response style.
The Ewe Drum Ensemble
Ewe drums are carved from tree trunks or coopered like barrels with staves and hoops Antelope hide drumheads are secured with a peg and rope system. The drums include atsimevu, sogo, kidi, kaganu, totogi and kloboto. They are joined by iron bells called atoke and gankogui and by rattles called axatse.
My primary teacher was Kobla Ladzekpo, an Ewe master drummer, so I learned to play all of these rhythms on Ewe instruments. The Ewe people have their own orchestra of drums and percussion, which they play with sticks, or a combination of hands and sticks.
RhythmJoy
Geoff Johns & Carol Lutra-Johns
10354 SW Mukai Circle, Vashon Island, WA, 98070
Tel - 206.567.5822
Designed and programmed by
TerraRhythm
Engineering Global Media for Vibrant Change
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Malinke dunun drums
Malinke dunun drums
The dunun are cylindrical drums with goat or cowhide heads on both ends. We use a set of three dunun, called kenkeni, sangban, and dununba, with bells mounted on them.