Abdoulaye Diakité (December 15, 1950 – January 8, 2018) was an influential

djembe A djembe or jembe ( ; from Maninka language, Malinke ''jembe'' , N'Ko script, N'Ko: ) is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe ...

master drummer and teacher from Tambacounda,

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

. He was the lead djembe player of the National Ballet of Senegal for 18 years before emigrating to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Early life

Born in Tambacounda in 1950, Diakité was a member of the Bamana ethnic group from

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

. The Bamana are a tribe of the

Malinke Maninka (also known as Malinke), or more precisely Eastern Maninka, is the name of several closely related languages and dialects of the southeastern Manding subgroup of the Mande language family (itself, possibly linked to the Niger–Congo ...

(mainly in Mali and Senegal) that resisted modernization and Christian missionary efforts. Diakité began drumming at the age of seven. Throughout his youth, Diakité was known for his natural ability on the djembe

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

. For many years, he studied with his teacher Suncaru Jara in Tambacounda. Jara's teacher was Chebleni Traore whose teacher was Numuni Traore, the first master drummer to take the djembe out of Bamana secrecy, igniting its diaspora. At age 16, Diakité played at a

festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

in Tambacounda that would dramatically change his life. The National Ballet of Senegal was looking for a djembe player who sounded like the ''djembefola'' (djembe player) Dugufana Tarawele. There, they discovered Diakité.

Career

In 1968, Diakité officially joined the National Ballet of Senegal. For the next 18 years until 1986, he traveled the world as their lead soloist. Upon completion of his last tour, Diakité chose to stay in the United States and make his home away from home in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

. During the early 1990s in the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...

, Diakité founded Tambacounda Productions and co-founded Ceedo Senegalese Dance Company. He subsequently initiated a variety of recordings, performances, and activities including on an episode of

Northern Exposure ''Northern Exposure'' is an American comedy-drama television series about the eccentric residents in the fictitious town of Cicely, Alaska, that originally aired on CBS from July 12, 1990, to July 26, 1995, with a total of 110 episodes. It rec ...

. The largest activity was the Tambacounda West African Drum and Dance Camp, founded in 1996 and held annually for a number of years. The summer camp was the first of its kind and deemed an inspiration to the expansion of West African drumming and dance in the United States. Diakité frequently visited

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish language, Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the largest city and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population ...

in the 1990s where he inspired the founding of the West African drum shop Drumskull Drums. He instructed and guided many future djembe teachers affiliated with the shop. His educational philosophy embraced ''Jebe Bara'' or "unity of the drum." Diakité often spoke of spiritual aspects related to this in his djembe classes. In October 2008, Diakité was hospitalized with

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as " flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large ...

and subsequently faced health-related challenges. A benefit concert featuring Leon Mobley was held on February 20, 2009, in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

. Though disabled by his medical condition, Diakité continued drumming and teaching devoted students until his death in 2018.

Discography

* ''Mandingo Drumming'' (1992), with Leon Mobley * ''JebeBara: The Bamana Djembe'' (2001), with Mamadou Sidibe * ''Abdoulaye Diakité Rhythms of the Djembé, Volume 1'' (2003) * ''Abdoulaye Diakité Rhythms of the Djembé, Volume 2'' (2003) * ''Tambacounda Dunun ni Don'' (2004) * ''Manden Foli'' (2005)

References

External links

Ceedo Senegalese Dance Company performance

Abdoulaye Diakité playing Dununba
*
All Music - Abdoulaye Diakité
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diakité, Abdoulaye 1950 births 2018 deaths Bamana people People from Tambacounda region Drummers from Oakland, California Master drummers Senegalese drummers African drummers African-American drummers American male drummers 20th-century drummers 21st-century drummers Djembe players 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians