The djembe drum has its origin in the empire of Mali, which was founded by the Malinke (or Manding) people around the 13th century. It was situated in parts of the present-day countries Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Gambia and Senegal.
Djembes were cut by members of the blacksmith caste, who had an important role in social life, since they also manufactured tools, knives and masks. Each Djembe Drum was especially manufactured for one particular drummer. A tree was chosen, and the spirit of the tree was offered colanuts, to apologize for the cutting.
The “djeli” (or “griot”, “djeli muso” or “griotte” for women) caste consists of musicians and singers. They were the official keepers of history and tradition, by lack of any written records. From an early age, the children started to memorize endless texts on the history and customs of their people. The boys also learned how to play the balafon or kora, the girls only sing and play small accompanying instruments like a karignan or djabara. Today still, the djeli are the ones who know which songs, dances and rhythms should be performed at all social occasions like baptisms, weddings and funerals.
Note that the djembe is not traditionally a djeli instrument! There are no hereditary restrictions in becoming a djembefola (djembeplayer). Being a djembefola was not even considered to be a profession. The village drummer, even if he was a real master, owned his living with another job.
The djembe has taken its shape from mortars used to pound millet. It has an hour-glass shape and is open on two sides. A goat skin (or antelope) is stretched over the top. It is played with the hands, and can be used both as an accompanying instrument as as a solo instrument.
The Djembe in the Village
Traditionally, djembe music is played at different festivities or rituals, like baptisms, weddings etc. It is always combined with singing and dancing. There are also no real ’spectators’, everybody present participates in some way or other.
The drummers often start playing, in order to announce the start of the festivities and gather the guests. Then, a griotte starts to sing a song, to which everybody answers in chorus. By this time, the musicians have recognized the song and have started to play the corresponding rhythm, not too loud. The dancers start to dance the basic steps of the rhythm, in a circle. When the griotte stops singing, or the master drummer feels there has been enough singing, the musicians increase the volume and pace of the music. Taking turns, solo dancers (mainly women) emerge from the crowd and come and dance in front of the djembefola. The djembefola follows their steps and variations on the djembe, and depending on how well they dance and how many variations the dancer knows, sooner or later ends with a chauffement. Each solo dance takes no longer than about half a minute. The pace of the rhythm then decreases again, in waiting of the next dancer. Only when everybody is satisfied in dancing this rhythm (which can take a long time!), the music stops and the griotte starts to sing another song.
Each rhythm consists of two or three dundun parts, two or more djembe accompaniments and some ‘traditional’ variations for the solo djembe. Each rhythm also has its own dance and song that are an integral part of that rhythm. Each rhythm has its own time, place and purpose to be played.
The Djembe On Stage
After the independence of the current west-african countries, national “ballets” were formed, which were ment to showcase the cultural legacy of the country all over the world. During this process, a new genre of performing was created. Rhythms from regions far apart were played in quick succession, musical instruments were combined that were not played together before, and rhythms traditionally played on other instruments were adapted for the djembe. The dance circle of the village was broken and spread out in a line, so that a seated, non-participating audience could see. The musicians often played behind the scene, leaving it open to the dancers. They danced to complex choreographies with many dancers moving in unison, depicting scenes of traditional village life.
In a later phase, another new genre emerged, where the musicians are the main attraction. Emphasis is on the arrangements and on the elaborate solos of the soloists, while only a couple of dancers remain in the background.