Editing Djembe (section)

{{Short description|Type of African goblet drum}}
{{Distinguish|Djambe}}
{{Redirect|Jembe|the garden tool|Hoe (tool)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2013}}
{{Infobox Instrument
| name                  = Djembe
| background            = percussion
| image                 = Lenke djembe from Mali.jpeg{{!}}alt=Brown goblet-shaped wood and leather drum with blue rope on an alabaster background
| image_capt            = Lenke wood djembe from Mali
| classification        = [[Membranophone]]
| hornbostel_sachs      = 211.261.1
| hornbostel_sachs_desc = Directly struck [[membranophones]], [[goblet drums]], one membrane, open at one end
| range                 = 65–1000&nbsp;Hz.
| related               = [[Dunun]], [[Bougarabou]], [[Ashiko]], [[Goblet drum]]
| articles              = [[Dunun]], [[Mandinka people]]
| musicians             = [[Bolokada Conde]], [[Soungalo Coulibaly]], [[Mamady Keïta]], [[Famoudou Konaté]], [[Drissa Kone]]
[[ Douguitigui Kone]],
[[ Dramane Kone]]
[[ Sayba Kone]]
| developed             = c. 1200&nbsp;AD
}}

A '''djembe''' or '''jembe''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|dʒ|ɛ|m|b|ei}} {{respell|JEM|bay}}; from [[Maninka language|Malinke]] ''jembe'' {{IPA|emk|dʲẽbe|}},<ref>{{cite book|first=Marianne|last=Friedländer|title=Lehrbuch des Malinke|isbn=978-3-324-00334-6|publisher=Langenscheidt|year=1992|edition=1st|language=de|location=Leipzig|pages=279, 159–160}}</ref> [[N'Ko script|N'Ko]]: {{lang|dmn|ߖߋ߲߰ߓߋ}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Les Recherches linguistiques de l'école N'ko|author1=Faya Ismael Tolno|url=http://kanjamadi.com/dalukende19.pdf|magazine=Dalou Kende|language=fr|issue=19|page=7|date=September 2011|publisher=Kanjamadi|access-date=17 December 2020}}</ref>) is a rope-tuned skin-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. In the [[Bambara language]], "djé" is the verb for "gather" and "bé" translates as "peace."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Doumbia|first1=Abdoul|last2=Wirzbicki|first2=Matthew|title=Anke Djé Anke Bé, Volume 1|publisher=3idesign|year=2005|page=86|isbn=978-0-9774844-0-9}}</ref>

The djembe has a body (or shell) carved of [[hardwood]] and a [[drumhead]] made of untreated (not [[Liming (leather processing)|limed]]) [[Rawhide (textile)|rawhide]], most commonly made from [[Goatskin (material)|goatskin]]. Excluding rings, djembes have an exterior diameter of 30–38&nbsp;cm (12–15&nbsp;in) and a height of 58–63&nbsp;cm (23–25&nbsp;in). The majority have a diameter in the 13 to 14&nbsp;inch range. The weight of a djembe ranges from 5&nbsp;kg to 13&nbsp;kg (11–29&nbsp;lb) and depends on size and shell material. A medium-size djembe carved from one of the traditional woods (including skin, rings, and rope) weighs around 9&nbsp;kg (20&nbsp;lb).

The djembe can produce a wide variety of sounds, making it an extremely versatile drum. The drum is very loud, allowing it to be heard clearly as a solo instrument over a large percussion ensemble. The [[Mandinka people|Malinké people]] say that a skilled drummer is one who "can make the djembe talk", meaning that the player can tell an emotional story (the Malinké never used the djembe as a [[Drum (communication)|signaling drum]]).

Traditionally, the djembe is played only by men, as are the ''[[dunun]]'' that always accompany the djembe. Conversely, other percussion instruments that are commonly played as part of an ensemble, such as the ''[[shekere]]'' (a hollowed-out gourd covered with a net of beads), ''karignan'' (a tubular bell), and ''[[Caxixi|kese kese]]'' (a woven basket rattle), are usually played by women. Even today, it is rare to see women play djembe or dunun in West Africa, and African women express astonishment when they do see a female djembe player.<ref name="Flaig" />