N’Camara Abou Sylla is a musical national treasure in the country of Guinea, West Africa.  He has made the Monadnock region his home for the past 20 years where he teaches African drumming to students of all ages and abilities at schools, summer camps, and a variety of community groups.  Additionally, Abou is known worldwide as a master balafone player (think a western xylophone).  He will perform for us along with a group of skilled and talented drummers whom he has taught for the past several years right here in the Monadnock region.

African drummers gather to accompany dancers who perform at village celebratory events such as coming of age, weddings, parties, and reunions.  Similiar to musical formats we are familiar with, a West African drum ensemble is comprised of a lead drummer, a bass drummer, and a rhythm section.  The djembe is often played by the lead drummer, and those drummers in the rhythm section. The primary drum used  is called a djembe (pronounced JEM-BAY), which is typically played while seated.  A djembe is a rope-tuned goatskin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe comes from the saying “Anke djé, anke bé” which translates to “everyone gather together in peace” and defines the drum’s purpose.The other drum used is a set of dun-dun’s.  This collection of three drums is played while standing and provides the “base beat” of the rhythm being played.