Fontomfrom is a Bono type of hourglass-shaped drum mostly used by an ensemble of

Bono people The Bono, also called the Brong and the Abron, are an Akan people of West Africa. Bonos are normally tagged Akan piesie or Akandifo of which Akan is a derivative name. Bono is the genesis and cradle of Akans. Bono is one of the largest ethnic gr ...

to communicate Bono monarchy royal messages in a Bono people ethnic group setting. The Fontomfrom ensemble provides music for ceremonies honoring Bono chiefs and Bono monarchy royal processions. The Fontomfrom is also used to recite proverbs or replicate patterns of speech at most Bono monarchy royal gatherings or a Bono

monarchy A monarchy is a government#Forms, form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The legitimacy (political)#monarchy, political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restric ...

royal

durbar Durbar can refer to: * Conference of Rulers, a council of Malay monarchs * Durbar festival, a yearly festival in several towns of Nigeria * Durbar floor plate, a hot-rolled structural steel that has been designed to give excellent slip resistance ...

. The Fontomfrom evolved from the popular hourglass-shaped drum (

talking drum The talking drum is an hourglass-shaped drum from West Africa, whose pitch can be regulated to mimic the tone and prosody of human speech. It has two drumheads connected by leather tension cords, which allow the player to change the pitc ...

) of the 7th century. Shortly after the evolution, a few more non-hourglass shapes such as the Dunan, Sangban,

Kenkeni Dunun (; plural dunun) (also spelled dundun or doundoun) is the generic name for a family of West African drums that have developed alongside the '' djembe'' in the Mande drum ensemble. A dunun is a rope-tuned cylindrical drum with a rawhi ...

and Ngoma drums were produced. Prior to the Fontomfrom becoming the ensemble that it is today, it was first introduced into

Bonoman Bono State (or Bonoman) was a trading state created by the Bono people, located in what is now southern Ghana. Bonoman was a medieval Akan kingdom in what is now Bono, Bono East and Ahafo region respectively named after the (Bono and Ahafo) a ...

by Bonohene Akumfi Ameyaw I and Bonohemaa Owusuaa Abrafi circa 1320s, from

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

. As they love dancing and music, they introduced this drum to entertain themselves. Since its procurement, the single, large Fontomfrom drum has grown to become an ensemble of several drums.

References

External links

Video: Fontomfrom at Asafo PalaceVideo: Fontomfrom , Hip Hop Generation Next Block Party '12 , Dancing in the Streets
African drums Ashanti people Ashanti musical instruments West African musical instruments Drums {{Membranophone-instrument-stub