For several centuries, drums have been essential to African music, ceremonies, festivals, and religion. Some drums were used for royal functions, others for performing religious rites, several for ceremonies, others for communication, and many for music and a form of cultural identity. There are many unique drums from Africa, such as the Djembe from Mali, Sabar from Senegal, Ekwe from Nigeria, Bendir from North Africa, Pokomo from East Africa, Shangaan from Southern Africa, Mongo, from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and more.

African drums have different purposes. During a performance, some are beaten to mimic human speaking in the call-and-response style of singing common to Africans. Examples are the Dundun from Mande, Mali; the Gángan from the South-Western part of Nigeria; or Atumpan from the Asante people of Ghana. Some drums were for religious use, such as Bekiviro from Madagascar, Pliéwo from the Ivory Coast, and Kebero from Ethiopia. There are drums used in making war sounds like the Negarit, a large kettle drum made of wood or metal, used by former Ethiopian emperors and Buganda from Uganda. Meanwhile, some have multi-uses. Examples are the Tongan used by the Tonga people in Zimbabwe, the Yangere slit drum from the Central African Republic, and the Garamut from New Guinea.

Interestingly, African drums are of different forms, shapes, and make. Tubular drums come in different shapes, like goblet, cylindrical, hourglass, and barrel-shaped. Examples include the Djembe from Mali; the Doumbek, and its variants from Egypt and Tunisia, and Batá from the Yoruba people in Nigeria.

Framed drums like the Bendir from the Middle East and North Africa, the Shangaan drum from Southern Africa, and the Sakara drum from Nigeria exist. These types of drums are hand-held, wooden-framed, and circular, with similarity to the tambourine. One face of the circular frame is covered with a membrane that is struck to make sounds.

Another category of African drums is the kettledrums. These types of drums, also known as hemispherical drums, take their name from the large kettle-shaped bottoms unique to them. The kettle drums are made by covering a metal or wooden frame with dried animal skin. A typical example is the bowl drum from West Africa.

There are also the slit drums, otherwise known as log drums. The slit drums differ from the typical African drums. The slit drum can be trapezoidal, cylindrical, or zoomorphic-shaped but with a hollow carved in it. Unlike other drums covered with membrane or dried animal hides, the slit produces sound from striking the hollow parts. Some examples of slit drums are Ekwe from the South-Eastern part of Nigeria, Lukombé from the DRC, and Duala slit drum from Cameroon.

African drums are percussion instruments. They are unique in terms of sounds produced because this is largely based on the tuning of the drums. The tempo of African drums is usually loud and sometimes speeds up or slows down based on the song and the choral part. African drums are commonly played with other instruments during performances to provide a complete entertainment experience for the audience and performers.

Over the centuries, the African drums have found their way to other cultures and continents, finding expressions in entertainment and music formation than the initial functions. Perhaps, if you have an opportunity to play any African drum, you might want to take an extra moment to learn more about its origins and historical purpose.

An image of an African drummer making a beat on a local drum.

African Drums: A Diverse Percussion Instrument

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