Drum Circle

Percentages of sales for certain products at X8 Drums go to several charitable causes in Africa.

Congo Orphanage
Three different orphanages in Congo receive support to pay for improvements to the facilities and for food.

Senegal Street Kids
Financial support helps to establish and maintain a home for street kids in Dakar Senegal. This money pays for rent, repairs to the building, labor costs for two employees, food and vaccinations.

Reforming Women in Africa
There are very few options women that must support themselves and their children. Many of these young women end up in destructive lifestyles that are very difficult to get away from. Funding goes to help expand a business training and development project for some of these women.

The sales of African made products helps support working craftspeople in Africa. The people helped by these donations generally live in very difficult situations.

If the money in Africa can get into the right hands, a lot can be accomplished with it.

By purchasing any of these instruments, you will help support the communities and craftsmen in Africa:

• Africa Guinea Djembe, 12.5x25 Calfskin 
• Miniature African Djembe Drum 
• Africa Senegal Djembe, 13x24
• Djembe Necklace 
• Ksink Ksink Djembe Drum Shakers
• "The People Of Africa" Batik 
• Ebony Drummer Carving from Kenya
• Korhogo Cloth Painting, Ivory Coast 

African Mini Djembe

Labels: west.africa

When shopping for a djembe drum it's important to consider the environmental ramifications of purchasing a djembe that uses illegal wood. Unfortunately, many djembe drums that are being imported into this country, from West Africa, are made from wood that has been illegally harvested. Read more about African djembe drums here.

Labels: african.djembe, djembe, Djembe.Buying.Guide, djembe.drum, jembe, rope.djembe, west.africa

The African djembe (also jembe, jenbe, yembe, sanbanyi in Susu; pronounced "ZHEM-bay") is a goatskin covered drum shaped like a large goblet and meant to be played with bare hands. Traditionally crafted djembe drums are carved in one single piece from hollowed out hardwood trees. Specific types of wood depend upon the forests accessible to the drum makers. Some West African hardwoods used for musician quality instruments (carved in Guinea, Senegal, Mali, and Ivory Coast) include dimba (bush mango), lenge, bois rouge, acajou, iroko, hare or khadi, and dugura.

As a result of the large goblet shape and the goatskin head, there is a significant difference in the tones produced. Striking the skin near the center produces a bass note; striking the skin near the rim can produce either a tone or slap note, depending on the technique used. The slap has a higher pitch than the tone. Some consider the djembe female and the Ashikos to be male. The djembe is said to contain 3 spirits. The spirit of the tree, the spirit of the animal of which the drumhead is made and the spirit of the instrument maker. The African djembe is also known as the magical drum.

The African djembe is used for ceremonial purposes such as a wedding, full moon or the start of a harvest season for farmers. There is general agreement that the origin of the African djembe is associated with a class of Mandinka/Susu blacksmiths known as Numu. The wide dispersion of the djembe drums throughout West Africa may be due to Numu migrations dating from the first millennium A.D.

The Malinke, an indigenous people who are spread throughout West Africa, use the djembe to help spread their message of peace. In the Malinke culture it's an expression of joy. And is often used as a way for the African people to share their thoughts about the world. African drummer Mamady Keita, named best djembe drummer in Africa by the Pan-African Festival in Algers puts it best: "For us personally it's a way for us to share our own thoughts about the world. It helps us show through music that all our problems are not needed, and that we can come together as people because we can come together to play music."

Next: How to Play the Djembe

Labels: african.djembe, african.djembe.drum, Djembe.Buying.Guide, goatskin.head, goblet.drum, hardwood, jembe, malinke, mamady.keita, rope.djembe, west.africa