presented by World Music Productions

    The Legend of Les Amazones (or Maitre Noumody Keita’s last wishes)
In April 1995 master djembe player, Noumody Keita, died in Conakry. He was one of the most revered and prestigious ‘djembefola’, the greatest of the seven top percussionists in Guinee, founder of the incomparable Ensemble National de Percussions de Guinee. This heavy loss was felt by the whole nation, the artists and their families as well as the fans of the group. A new era had begun for African percussion.

One night, as Noumody’s first wife, Bintou Kourama, was trying unsuccessfully to sleep after a hard day’s housework, she heard a voice as if from nowhere and quickly became fully awake.

Disturbed, she heard the voice say, “Bintou, don’t be afraid. It’s me, your husband that you have always loved and respected, don’t worry. I’m well but have had no appetite for five years. I don’t sleep well either, even though I have everything I need here, nothing harms me but the fact that I cannot hear the sound of my djembe.

Why? Bintou and all my friends, what has become of our vows? And our life’s mission; to spread peace and unity throughout the world, to give joy and maintain hope by playing the djembe. They must not forget. 

I ask you to take my instrument from it case, pull the strings taught, varnish the wood and heat the tender skin on a low flame. Go ahead my dear for tomorrow; I want you to play my djembe to assuage my hunger.

Pass this on to my friends and bring together six other young women, similar to yourself and begin to cure goatskins like so many “koukoba sayon” and “doundouma”… Yes, my beloved, strong, beautiful young women will play the djembe so that women can give back love and hope to the entire world.

Go ahead, my dear, go on; I will listen to you tomorrow evening and I’ll find you even more beautiful”. As if in a fairy tale, an opaque cloud veiled the moon and the warm voice fell silent. Bintou felt her tiredness dissipate as if by a magic potion and life return with the vigor she felt on her honeymoon. After a few brief moments of reflection, she rose, stretched like a python, threw her shawl around her throat and proceeded to unpack Noumody’s trunk where he had last packed away his inimitable djembe. She took it out of its case, held it to her breast and slipped into a profound coma.

In her dream-state, she saw black girls, dressed in the beautiful costumes of great African heroines, playing Djembes with Lamine Soumah and Aly Sylla. They played just as Noumody wanted; they drummed powerfully and well, with mastery and a passion equal only to the Amazones… So began the demystification of the ‘masculine myth of the djembe’. Since then, the djembe changed masters to embrace women also.

This is the colorful story of the artistic program of Les Amazones, The Women Master drummers of Guinee.

A story composed and written by Dr Saidou Dioubate,
National Director of Culture.

site design and maintenance by PS Creative