Djembe

The djembe is a goblet-shaped drum from West Africa, covered with skin, tuned with ropes and played with bare hands. According to a saying of the Bambara people of Mali, its name comes from 'Anke djé, anke bé', 'let everyone gather in peace', which also describes its purpose.

The body is carved from a single piece of hardwood, and the head is usually raw goatskin. A djembe is about 30–38 cm wide and 58–63 cm tall, and weighs 5 to 13 kg depending on its size and wood.

The djembe can make a great variety of sounds and is very loud, so it can be heard clearly as a solo instrument even over a large group of drums. The Malinke say that a good drummer is one who 'can make the djembe talk', telling a story full of feeling.

Traditionally only men play the djembe and the dunun drums that always accompany it, while other instruments of the group, such as the shekere (a gourd covered with a net of beads), are usually played by women.