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Talking about the spirits of Music...

Interested by music, I have tried to understand how the Africans with their simple tools in the antiquity have built the complicated and beautiful sculpted Drums.

The Drum is an ethnic and musical identity card. His reading, his decoding can teach us, more about the different migrations of the populations in the antiquity. Drums are technically, significant documents coming from the deep history of humanity; perhaps during this period named Tep Zepi, knowledge and symbolism of form was melted together in a harmonic symbiosis. Design and function were not considered as separate realities, but as the two faces of a complete transmission of Music.

Anomalies

When a fact is not in accordance with the predominant theory, this fact is simply rejected. Some people don’t want to report it, to talk about it, even when this fact is able to change the history of this predominant theory. Such silences within the scientific community are not exceptional, and that means that science fails to progress. Some remarks about the mechanical and acoustical operation of the drums, the dispersion of the drums inside and outside the African continent...

Advanced knowledge has been used to optimize the African drums. Was this based on simple listening? Perhaps yes.

Remark about the mechanical and acoustical operation of the drums with a single and double membrane. The analogy between the drum and the modern loudspeaker

- The sealed drum: Sealed load principle.

- The opened drum: Bass-reflex load principle

- The acoustical push-pull principle.

Drum's Unit in the African antiquity.

- Dispersion of the drums inside the African continent, and the presence of the drums outside the African continent:

Three months inside the Joola group (Senegal)

Appendix:

- Three months inside the Joola group (Senegal) , Acknowledgements, Frequently Asked Questions and Suggestions

There is no question that electronic systems (audio generators, extraterrestrial knowledge, etc) have been used at the time when the drums where manufactured. I don't know which method was used to obtain such cabinet's design of drums. There are too much similarities between the drum designs and tools developed by people and companies as:

Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand Von Helmholtz (1821 - 1894), German scientist, worked in thermodynamics, electrodynamics, meteorology, hydrodynamics. Last but not least, in 1862, "The Sensations of Tone" which defined the basic principles of physiological acoustics. Still today he has written this principles are used in resonator by the loudspeaker's industry.

- Similarity between drums design and the Von Helmholtz's resonator: The Djembé or Djimbé.

- A double Von Helmholtz's resonator found in the drums: The Talking drum.

Alexander Graham Bell (1847 - 1922) Doctor in Medicine, inventor of the first telephone, the first electrodynamic highspeaker…

- Similarity between the drums and the Bell's telephone.

Wernher Freiherr Von Braun: A German engineer, who was during the Second World War, the Technical Director of a research and development team composed by hundreds German engineers who have developed the V1 flying bombs and the V2 rockets.

- A Remark about the similarity between the drum designs, the propulsor and the rocket motor developed by the German army during the Second World War.

- As a propulsor for the flying V1 bombs and as a motor for the V2 rockets.

Bose ®: American Loudspeaker's company who has developed a design of loudspeaker named Acoustics Wave Cannon that is identical to a drum cabinet.

Technics ®: Japan Electronics company, who has developed a design of loudspeaker, based on the Von Helmholtz's resonator, similar to a Djembé drum. And other designs and developers… Sorry if you are not quoted here!

(Left) A drum from the Sengele group in Congo (Ex Zaire) Ref: R.G.6.819 Museum of Central Africa / Tervuren -Belgium- A beautiful Museum.

To the peoples interested in this domain, I want to say, that there is something very disturbing in the drums coming from the African antiquity.

The Drum, is as a technical legacy, passed to the humanity by people passionated by Music, Dance and Sculpture.

Three months inside the Joola group (Senegal)

Music is magic, Magic is life … J. Hendrix.

A few years ago, (1990) I was in Senegal, in the region of the Casamance (South of Senegal) searching for a drum sculptor, and learning something about the drums used by the Joola group.

I lived three months in a family, inside a village who finally, changed my family name Diouf, to the one of my welcome family, Djedhiou.

I came in a community who was preparing the great, or one of the most important ceremonies in the life of every member. The last ceremony was celebrated, 33 or 34 years ago.

There were men, in this village, who had the same age as me, but who, for many reasons had not participated to the last initiation. They were actively preparing this ceremony that was very important in they daily life inside the Joola community. The knowledge they could receive during this period of initiation (that could last one year or more) should be for the rest of they life. These men and young boys, were recognizable by they skin heads, the loincloth, multicolor pearls necklace, and they attitude face to certain forbidden things.

One day, one of them showed me a drum, which was under a tree at the village place. Some months ago, this drum was officially presented to him, for the first time. It is a drum of initiation, a drum of ceremony, a sacred drum. This kind of drum is not yearly exposed at the village place. Once the ceremony is finished, some men should hide it somewhere in a secret place until the next ceremony 10, or 40 years later.

Another day, the sculptor brought me under this tree, this place served as a dance floor used by the whole of the village for the dance and songs rehearsal for the special meeting which should be done some weeks later in another village.

There were at this village place, near the road, two others drums with membranes named bougueureb, and this drum of ceremony, in fact a drum with a chink on which, this day, he plays for me alone, and for the first time. He took two sticks and slowly beats the wall of the drum that began to vibrate under a rhythm I have heard for the first time.

It was during the warm weather, under the tree; the relaxing and melodious harmony that comes from this drum with a chink was spreading on the whole village.

I have enjoyed the melody that comes from this sacred drum, still active. My feeling at that moment cannot be described here, juste with simple words.

• This drum is named a Yamboli says the musician. To build him, you have to go inside the sacred wood, and after a ceremony, the human has to transform himself into a bee. [Where the name of this drum in Joola, and in Walaf the root of this word, also means a bee -Yamb-]

Once the length of a trunk is selected, the bee has to excavate a chink, and the inside's trunk is emptied.

He plays around a half-hour, and makes a pause during which I have tried to put my hand through the chink, juste for to feel how was the inside wall. But, it was impossible to put my hand through this narrow chink. I look to his hands, which were greater than mine. The conclusion was obvious: a tool had been used for this chink, but which one, a bee?

I look to him questioning:

• Please do not try to tell me, that you have transformed your body into a bee, inside I do not know which sacred wood?
• Why not?
• No, I think you have offered to the bees, something, in the sacred wood, or you have deposed some wet sugar on a trunk for example, and with the time, the bees have done the work for you! You can dance like a bee, or imitate the bees, but…
• Ah Diouf ! he said with a laugh, you have learned with the Westerners, and it is a good thing. Yesterday we have discussed about the Joola and Serer tradition [The Joola is the great brother], you have drunk some days ago the red infusion and you are still alive. You can for free receive from me; the part of my knowledge concerning the making of this sacred drum. In addition to the knowledge you have concerning the drums, I want to teach you, some African knowledge, how Diouf could transform his body into a bee for the production of a Yamboli, inside the sacred wood… And, you know, when you mix your Western and African knowledge, then you shall be a real drum sorcerer, like the ancients…

Drums of magic, drums of ceremony, drums of initiation…

 But, I remember, some weeks ago, I was a juste coming in this village, the sculptor and me were in the wood, he was sculpting for me a drum, a great bougueureb, in a sort of wood named Kajil buy mboss, known in Latin as Erythophloeum Suaveolems.

In the afternoon when we were back home, he and he's wife had prepared an infusion with some pieces and cortex of this wood. We were very, but very tired. They had made the infusion, and proposed me a cup of tee. The liquid was red as blood.

This wood is special: when he is juste curved, or pumice, his color is light brown. But once exposed to the light and warmth, he turns into a deep red color.

They say, it is good for your body, when you are very tired. I have drunk the infusion, like a tee but with a new taste…

One week later, and each time we came back from the wood, I ask, or prepare my self, a Kajil tee. Once they have remarked I like it, they told me:

• You know Diouf !, this wood contains some properties that are good for the body, but in fact it is also used in case of troubles between people, or families. When a person is accused to be someone who flies, when the heart is cold (an African helicopter without motor, deep in the night…), or when someone is accused to have committed something, this infusion is presented to him. And, when the person who drinks the infusion is responsible about what he is accused for, he will died some days later. It's also used when we have an unknown visitor, [like me], this infusion is kindly proposed, for testing his integrity, when a stranger is accommodated in an house, where nobody knows he's lineage, does he has a nocturnal understudy?…

(For the pharmaceutical industry, if the active principle of this wood is not yet extract or used, the Latin name is Erythophloeum Suaveolems)

But, the infusion from this wood is known as the test's poison…

Cheers!

Some weeks after (no, I am still here) this session under the tree, it was the day of the dance meeting in the great village where was the ancient's council. Except for the sick, the babies, and the oldest, the entire village awaked up early this day, because we had to pass to other villages, talking, singing, and eating delicious fruits directly from the tree's, all along the way… All the men and young who were preparing the initiation ritual, were dressed in a multicolored design. This day was important, it is the last meeting with many others guys, companions of initiation, coming from other villages, by foot, other by pirogue, other by car, before the isolation in the sacred wood.

Dancing with the Spirits…

Our group was increasing, from one village to another. Some times, we made a pause in a village for one or two hours. Time for the young men to be ritually prepared. Three or five great bougueureb for the rhythm, one Yamboli, some calabashes and water bottles, some other ceremonial tools…

After the priers we moved, the group became increasingly dense, we walked through the forest, and clearing, and certainly around 12 PM, we were at the meeting village. The sound of the drums announced the place, the dust were floating up the ground, the contagious energy of the feet, you know, one of these meetings you have to save in your human audio-visual memory.

Those numbers of persons were very impressive, perhaps around five hundreds, women and men dressed in the whole rainbow colors, people singing, people dancing, people enjoying something at the same place, and peacefully. "Forget your troubles, and Dance..." R. N. Marley.

Many other villages were still at place, since long time.

Those who come across a friend, a parent were congratulated with gladness, But, my gaze is naturally turned in the direction of the music instruments, the drum's row standing and assuming their part of the meeting.

Regularly, some old guns spits they powder as the thunder under the African skies.

Spirits of Music

The percussionists were relayed by time to time on the drums, the Joola traditional songs grown increasingly, one rhythm after another, my T-shirt was trickling of sweat, with my pearl necklace, my folded up loincloth, I have sing, and dance the whole afternoon, sharing the fun of the session…

Music is magic, Magic is life … J. Hendrix.

Back to the village, I stayed two days, lied, or sitting down, with swollen and heavy foots, very, but very tired, a mind full of images, and sounds, with the feeling to have participated and shared something that has already took his place in my life, with the feeling to have learned something.

Thanks.

All the drums used by the Joola groups, are used in the great area (region) of Congo (Ex Zaire).

Acknowledgements:

To Paula & Leon, Aïda & Usmane, Arafan, Hilde & Andrea, Hilde & Luc.

To Yumbé, Keba, Margo, Arame, Umy, Sata, Babacar, Mohamed and Leo.

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The Drums: Version 2.1 - Last updated www anno 12/24/98 -

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