The immense strip of land between Senegal and Somalia, once known as the Sudan, endures one of the hottest and harshest dry seasons on Earth. It is here that the Dagomba people call home. They inhabit they savannah of Northern Ghana, between the busy city of Tamale in the west and Yendi, their traditional capital, in the east.
Like most African tribes, the Dagomba's existence is unimaginable without music. The addictive cross-rhythms of their d rummers can be heard, not only during weddings and religious festivals, but also throughout the performance of everyday tasks, such as fishing or cultivating crops.
The Dagombas use two main types of drums, the 'dondon' and the 'gongon'.
The Dondon Drum
The dondon is a kind of talking drum. The drummer can manipulate its pitch to reflect the sound and rhythms of speech. Thus, the dagomba people can use the dondon to communicate complex messages.
As John Miller Chernoff writes, 'While in Western music, certain kinds of musical themes may suggest images or feelings, the astounding fact is that in traditional African music, the rhythms themselves are a specific text. When the earliest European travellers described drum-signalling between villages, they assumed that the beating was a kind of code. In reality, the drums actually speak the language of the tribe.' (Miller, 1979, 75)
The dondon is shaped like an hourglass, with an opening at either end. These are covered with extremely thin skins, which are sewn onto reeds that have been tied together and shaped into rings. These rings are then laced together with leather strings.
The drummer supports the dondon with a piece of material, slung over his shoulder, so that he is free to walk and dance while playing. He holds the dondon in his arm and, in order to manipulate the pitch of the notes, he presses on the leather strings with his forearm.
The Gongon Drum
Most of us are familiar with the tom-toms. The gongon - the other drum most commonly used by the Dagomba people - is a big tom-tom. It consists of two round drums. Each is covered in a tightly stretched hide, tied to the drum with rope and thick strings of leather.
Similarly to the dondon, the gongon drum is hung from the shoulder by a piece of material, maintaining the drummer's freedom to move about.
Both the dondon and the gongon are played with a specifically shaped stick, which has a bell-shaped knob on its end. Sometimes, the gongon player will also use his hand. Hitting the outer edge of the gongon creates high-pitched notes.
Experiencing the drumming and dancing of the Dagomba people should be part of the intinerary of any trip to Ghana.
Sources
Chernoff, John Miller, African Rhythm and African Sensibility, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1979
Jasmine Crittenden - Jasmine Crittenden (B.A.)(Hons.)(First Class) is a writer and editor specialising in music, literature and travel.
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