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Essay / The importance of oral traditions in African history
One of the most crucial aspects of the development of the philosophy of African history has been the realization of the importance of spoken or oral traditions in the framing and interpretation of African history. Oral tradition is a living and dynamic organism within the African community, and the original element of oral tradition is the djembe. The Djembe is a traditional African drum and is the symbolic instrument of the West African community. The Djembe is placed on a high pedestal in the communal social aspect of the daily routine of society and is visible in many gatherings. The value and importance of the djembe as an embodiment of African tradition and its translation to West Africa and the United States via the ointment trade demonstrate the role and importance of the vehicle it plays in African roots. The djembe has become one of the most popular African drums. . The making of the djembe is completely unique. The village djembe player will offer ten kola nuts to the blacksmith in exchange for making the djembe. The blacksmith considered making such a drum an honor (Billmeier 2007). The blacksmith ventured into the forest to find the ideal tree to make a djembe. Once he has found the perfect tree, the blacksmith then asks the spirit that inhabits the tree to accept the tree to be cut while performing a ceremony at the base of the tree (Fanta Keita Tauber 2000). After a successful attempt, he would then carve the tree from the center of the wood and create two holes (towards the top and towards the bottom). This would serve to make the voice of the tree heard through the djembe. The djembe thus achieves an extraordinary sound range, going from a high pitch to a deep, resonant sound. The Djembe has engravings on the middle of the paper......according to the drums, which must have been made in secret” (Epstein 2006). The djembe was thus created with available materials where African slaves used their bodies like a drum, striking and stamping with their feet and sticks (Wilson 1992). The djembe is very important to me, not because it is an instrument essential to the preservation of the oral tradition, which plays a crucial role in African society, but it was also enormously used and visible in all the African ceremonies in which I I attended to greet my arrival and entertain the audience. However, the traditions of the djembe and its aesthetic principles are beginning to evolve beyond borders. These influences involve African instructors from different ethnic groups teaching a drumming lesson to people from different backgrounds, and modifying the djembe according to the client's needs..