Djembe

The djembe is an ancient instrument that dates back to the 13th century. It originated in the ancient Mali Empire (also known as the Mandinka Empire), which included present-day Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Gambia, and Côte d'Ivoire.

The first peoples of this empire believed to have played the djembe were the Malinke, Bambara, and Soninke. Originally, the instrument was called “dimmé,” which means “drum” in Soninke, a language still spoken in Mali. It later evolved into “djimbé” and, around 1970, became the word djembe we use today.

While no official source confirms this theory, the djembe is said to have been created by repurposing a mortar—essentially a bowl used with a pestle for grinding plants—and stretching a skin over the top.

At first, this African drum was mainly played at celebrations, such as births and weddings, to accompany dance. It then spread to other continents in the 1980s with the rise of African dance companies, which helped share African culture abroad.

Much like the cabasa, another musical instrument, the body of the djembe has been made from many different types of wood over the centuries. Most often, it was carved from whatever wood was available locally. Traditionally, the most commonly used woods are iroko, mahogany, acacia, kola, and lengue wood.

The stretched skin can be animal-based (goat, antelope, sheep, calf, etc.) or synthetic (ABS plastic or PVC). While wood and animal skin are sought after for a traditional djembe, plastics have the advantage of being durable, low-maintenance, lighter in weight, and animal-free for this African instrument.

If animal welfare matters to you, discover our 100% vegan djembe, made with no animal-derived materials.

A djembe player is called a djembéfola. In the Malinke language of West Africa, the suffix “fola,” added right after the word djembe, works a bit like adding “-ist” in English (as in “guitarist”).

So it’s more accurate to say “djembéfola” rather than “djembétiste.” That said, the term is usually reserved for players with a high level of mastery, not beginners.