djembe (/'ʒɛmbə, 'ʒɛmbeɪ/)
Where does the word come from? What does djembe mean?
How Do You Pronounce 'Djembe'?
djembe (/’ʒɛmbə/)
The 'd' is silent.
It is pronounced 'jem-beh'.
Jem - as in 'gemstone'
Beh - like the beginning of 'bed'
The first syllable is emphasized (as with many African languages) - 'jem-beh'.
WHAT IS A DJEMBE?
Definition of Djembe: The djembe is the goblet shaped drum from West Africa.
WHAT DOES DJEMBE MEAN?
Origins Lost in Time
As for the origin of the word, the truth may be lost in the mists of time. Moreover, people often find the word means different things in different parts of West Africa. Additionally, there are several claims to its origin.
Unity and Harmony Theory
Abdoul Doumbia is a Djembefola from Ségou in Mali. He explains that the word 'jembe' comes from two Bambara words. Furthermore, 'Dièn' means unity and 'Bin' signifies harmony.
Peace and Gathering Theory
Another belief suggests the word comes from a saying in Bambara. Specifically, "Anke djé, anke bé" means "everyone gather together in peace."
Tree and Goat Theory
One traditional testimony tells a different story. It recounts that the word comes from two words in the ancient Malinke language. Additionally, 'Djem' was the tree originally used to make the drum shell. This is a very dense wood found in Mali. Meanwhile, 'be' (pronounced 'beh') was a goat. People used goat skin for covering the drum.
Spelling Variations
People spell djembe in many different ways. These variations include jembe, dyìnbe, djimbe, guiembe, jimbe and yembe.
French Influence on Spelling
The most commonly used spelling is 'djembe'. This comes from the French, who did much to study and describe African drumming to the world.
Since there is no hard "j" sound that relates to English, people used the "dj" spelling.
Modern Spelling Debate
At the same time, some argue that the French spelling is a throwback to colonial rule. Therefore, they believe people should drop it in favour of 'jembe'. This may be closer to the original African language sound.
Furthermore, in the Malinke language, people spell the word "dyìnbe". This happens because the Malinke writing system does not include the letter "j".
