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The creation of Amazones: The Women Master Drummers of Guinea
By: Mamoudou Conde - December 17th, 2002
One day, in 1998, I was thinking deeply about my life and culture in Africa. I had many amazing memories and experiences growing up in the villages of Guinea. An unbelievable thought occurred to me. I was remembering my relative, Keita Fodeba, and the incredible life that he led. One man who had changed the World’s view of West Africa, its heritage, and rich Culture. I was recalling the stories and personal experience I have been blessed with as a result of knowing this man. I had a vision of our village, Siguiri and I thought that if this one man could have made such an impact on the planet, What could I do? The next thought scared me. I said to myself- “Why don’t the women play the Djembe?” Why doesn’t the female play this instrument in any of the national ballets or troupes? I was very confused since I spent half of my life living in New York City. Western culture was so different and women had broken through the traditional barriers and had become equal in this western society. What was the reason so many other cultures have not followed the obvious lead of equality? Why shouldn’t a woman play the Djembe? After much thought my feelings and emotions were confused and inspired. In America I saw women actively participating in Master Djembe classes. I recalled so many conversations I had heard about the problem of women and the Djembe. All too often the final detail was that since women were banished from touching the Master Drum in its birthplace, Guinea, they had no business getting involved with it anywhere else in the World. It was at this time I decided to change everything! I would follow in the footsteps of Keita and do something amazing. If I could change Guinea I could change everything. I knew where my journey would begin.
In 1998 I finalized the management contract for Les Percussions de Guinee, a world-renowned percussion group made up of the 7 master Djembe drummers. It was at this time I decided the world was ripe for change and understanding. I was very concerned and cautious about changing a cultural heritage, creating an awakening of the soul. After all, since the place I’m from, things could get very bad for you dealing with subjects like this. My plan was simple; to utilize the power of this group - Les Percussions de Guinee. I would increase the number of members from 7 to 22 adding 12 women and 3 more men to the ensemble.
The first reaction I received was most interesting. I called a meeting of the Seven Master Drummers. SHOCKED is the best word I can use to explain the demeanor of the Masters. They could not believe their ears. I think they thought I was Nuts! They said “WHAT DID YOU SAY?” “ON THE DJEMBE” “OH NO, NOT THE DJEMBE” “THAT IS GOING TO BE A BIG PROBLEM”. Needless to say I was losing my enthusiasm at this point. They went on to say that, “They have no idea about this. They do not want anything to do with this. Talk such as this could affect all of Africa’s culture. WE cannot be responsible for changing something that was in existence before us.”
I was BREATHLESS.
“Are we going to teach these women to do something that has never been done before because of our tradition?”
It was GETTING SERIOUS.
“This is how we make our income and we have been doing this since childhood” “these women would never be able to play with our ability anyway - enough of this TALK”
I suddenly realized the fact that to have the job of a Djembe player in society, until very recently, was considered unfavorable. One of the Masters first wives left him because of his dedication to the djembe. This is a sacred brotherhood.
One high-ranking officer laughed right in my face. I was starting to feel defeated. What would they think about Mamoudou, if tradition were broken? But my spirit is not easily broken. I used this for inspiration for every road to success is littered with lessons.
The order was clear. Since Mamoudou was from the ancient bloodline of the Malinke he would be the one to go to the villages and ask the people, the Elders, and the Griots. This seemed to make the most sense since the village is where the secret ceremonies took place that created the traditions. I felt that this would be the perfect solution. The SOURCE.
 I returned to the villages of the Highlands such as Siguiri, Kouroussa, etc. I interviewed at least 10 different villages including my grandfather’s. I was amazed at the positive and supportive response that I received. One elder said “ We are most impressed by the level of respect you have for our ancestors and the traditions of our people”. They were very pleased. They decided to offer prayers and explanations as to why the traditions began and why they were carried on this way, from the beginning. I received blessings and positive reinforcement. I was incredibly happy at this particular time. I returned to Conakry and immediately assigned the women to intense percussion training. At this time we replaced many of the women who didn’t meet the high standards we had laid out for drumming and dancing. Most Africans learn to dance growing up but the level we were looking for had to be superlative.
At this same time there was a change in the Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture. The new Director of Culture was appointed. Dr. Saidou Dioubate assumed the position after over 20 years working within the department. He would supply the needed momentum to get my project moving forward. I returned to the United States and soon after Les Ballets Africains went on their North American Tour. At this time I opened my heart to the Director and shared my vision and my ardent desire to change the World. I received powerful support from the Director so, when I returned to Guinea soon afterwards, I went right to work. We picked female artists from among those living in the most difficult conditions that an African woman has to endure; homeless, jobless, and often with children to support. These women were WARRIORS OF CIRCUMSTANCE. I was sharing some of their pain, as I was obliged to finance the entire project with money from my own pocket. My goal was to help the people that had nothing, the women who really needed our help.
I started working on the plans for Les Percussions de Guinee’s 2000 North American Tour. I asked the Department of Culture if it would be all right to add other traditional Instruments to the repertoire such as the Balaphone, Kora, and Flute. This would be a chance for me to increase the offering of the performance and open the minds for new ideas. The Master Djembe players seemed to begin to open their hearts about the subject of having women involved and I was able to bring two women on this tour. Of course, they were there to support the vocals and add contrast to the performance with costumes and dancing but it was also my opportunity to introduce the idea of women actually performing and playing the Djembe in front of live North American Audiences. I was very nervous but confident that we had arranged the entire concept to enact itself within the drama of the performance. From the very first show everyone involved met the idea with acceptance and enthusiasm. Since our presentation received the highest critical acclaim I knew the stage was set for me to move even closer to the conclusion of my plan to change the world of the Djembe.
Since the reaction was so positive and enthusiastic I knew we had the momentum to bring the subject to the World Stage. The number of women attending Master Classes doubled the male participation and the male audience was very vocal and surprisingly supportive. The group returned to Guinea after a very successful tour and the time was again ripe for me to push forward with my plans. I continued my work with the Director of Culture and we created a new privately held group: Amazones –The Woman Masterdrummers of Guinea.
This past year I returned to Guinea on two different occasions to work on the program and create materials to promote the show. During this time I selected the 7 Female Master Drummers of Guinea - named after the Intrepid Warrior-Woman of the Ancient kingdom Dohomey, now called Benin. With the support of the government and the Director of Culture of Guinea I am proud to present AMAZONES- The Woman Master Drummers of Guinea to the World Stage.
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