The Spiritual Djembe Of Africa
The djembe is a the name for a local drum used for traditional rituals in Africa.
In the central African republic, the djembe is the word used to describe the horn of a cow or any other animal.
The spiritual connection between the djembe drum and the horn djembe rises out of the similarity in the sound form produced from these two items.
Both the drum and the horn when the former is struck with bare hands, and the latter blown like a trumpet, they produce a sound that rises above any other musical instrument being played alongside them.
The Connection Between The Djembe And The Spirits
In African rituals the djembe and the horn are used to signal spirits from their resting places.
They are used because the people believe that their sound is strong enough to alert and summon the spirits from the spiritual realm.
This is why a spirit in the African ritual language is called a djembe.
It is used in reference to the strong influence that the sound of the horn and the drum have on the spirit. They are thus all identified as one entity.
This explains why in many traditional rituals, you will see that we use cow horns as items of power. They are used to both signal and maintain spiritual presence.
The Djembe (Spirits) That Hold Importance In Traditional Rituals
When doing any rituals to ask the spirits for intervention in anything, we have specific names that we attach to the spirits depending on what they are responsible for.
We have the djembe that is responsible for calling out wealth to those who seek for it. This is called Djembe lya Ddungu. This is the spirit of the hunt. This djembe favors all those who go out to seek their fortunes.
For strength and prowess in battle, courage and bravery in hard situations, we have Djembe lya Kibuuka. This spirit bestows strength and vitality in men seeking for power and dominancy over enemies. The spirit is also responsible for manhood in impotent men
We have Djembe lya Mukasa for fortune telling and good luck. This spirit mostly manifests in water. He is a strong spirit whose temper flares when mishandled. A person seeking for this spirit’s intervention must be steadfast in what he or she wants.
For those seeking for fertility and stable relationships, we use the Djembe lya Nalubaale. This spirit hovers over the great expanse of the Victoria water body. The spirit is summoned for women seeking for births in their relationships.
For love issues we have the Djembe lya Mirembe which is responsible for sustaining lovers and helping those seeking for love in their lives. This one is also the spirit for peace and happiness.
Why We Call Upon The Djembe (spirits) To Assist In Our Lives
The spiritual realm is full of many spirits that we as Africans call upon when we want divine intervention in our daily lives.
We sacrifice to these spirits so that they can bless us with abundance, good life, wealth and love, in our lives.
For all the problems that we encounter, we organize rituals and dance to these spirits to come and intervene on our behalf.
There are very many things we can achieve with the energy that we have, but there are insurmountable problems that require spiritual guidance.
This is what we seek when we come to such problems.
When We Play The Drum And Sound The Horn
When we play the djembe drum and sound the djembe horn, the surrounding hills echo with the cry of our ancestors.
The spirits hear our pleas and know that we seek for their assistance.
It is not every day that we seek spiritual assistance. Sometimes the drums are beat and the horns sing, to attract the company of the spirits.
We commune in food and drink (sacrifices), offering them to the spirits to thank them for their protection and generosity in times of need.
When you have the good company of spirits, you are assured of abundancy in sustenance and a successful harvest.
When next time you hear the sound of the djembe rolling across the hills, do not hesitate to get out your gourd and send up a prayer of thanks to the spirits of your ancestors.