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African Drums and African healing dances
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African Drums - Benefits of African drums
" The Pulse of the Drum - Is the Spirit of the HEART"
This page is dedicated to African dances and African drums especially to djembe, which is the soul of music.
Try to beat a djembe or a darbouka when you are upset, depressed, angry or down. Sink into the sound of djembe and let it take your thoughts away. I guarantee you is one of the best methods to make peace inside yourself.
Drumming is healthy!
The African Drums were used to bring people together, to communicate, heal, and celebrate. Drums have a strong effect in therapies to release stress and negative thoughts, because of this they are used for spiritual healing in Africa and many other parts of the world.
Drumming is a fantastic addition for anger management programs
Playing a djembe hand drum engages the right side of your brain, shifting the pressure from the critical thinking left-brain.
Drumming is a great stress reducer, decreases anxiety and depression and increases the ability of concentration.
Drumming is a great team building exercise
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Interactive drumming forms a powerful way of releasing creative energy while at the same time reducing stress levels and encouraging focus, making a group more receptive to listen and learn.
Another reason why drumming is so great for team building and team bonding is that it encourages cooperation and illustrates that every member in the team is equally important. When everybody plays his part the result is harmonious and cohesive.
Many health organizations integrate drumming into their program and have reported that it is a healthy way to relax.
African drums and the root of music
"African Drum Beats and Music is the true root of all music (The 1st NOTE)"
"The range and variety of 'banged' instruments is so vast that only a selection may be mentioned here. Africa alone would yield enough types to fill this entire book. Indeed, Africa may be called the 'Drum Continent' because nowhere else in the world has a greater range or number of drums. Africa was the continent which saw the emergence of man and probably the beginning of music itself ".
Usually, the drums are made from trunk of trees and animal skin in order to produce sounds from low, medium to high range sounds. Some of the drums used in African music are shortly described down here:
The Djembe is considered the healing drum and can be tuned to many levels of sounds. Djembe is normally the lead drum and is covered with goat skin. Djembes are known for their wonderful deep sound and their sharp rimside slaps.
Doumbec are drums from Morocco. They're made from ceramic and the top is covered with goat skin. They have a great "doom" in the center and a nice sharp "tek" on the rim. They are also known as darboukas and are played all over the Middle East and North Africa.
Tam-Tams drums in Morocco. They're made from ceramic and the top is covered with cow skin. They are similar to a bongo except that they're closed on the bottom.
The Sanbeni is a middle size drum covered with cow skin.
The Doundoumba is the largest drum with powerful bass sounds and is covered with cow skin.
The Kenkeni is also considered a lead drum and the player can produce two different rhythms and sounds. The Kenkeni is also covered with cow skin.
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Why african dances can heal?
An African proverb teaches, "If you can talk, you can sing, if you can walk, you can dance."
In african dances the most important is how you breath. If you will attend a dance class, the instructor will teach you first breathing techniques, body articulation movements for the hips, chest, shoulders, and feet and stretching. Dance movements are connected to the energy of nature and its elements (water, wind, fire, earth) and animals such as the snake, elephant, and bird.
In Africa, dancing is much more than physical movement, it is a direct way to celebrate life and create healing. From the movements of nature and everyday life, the tribal people of Africa developed specific dances to summon the energy of the world around them into their bodies for connection and healing. Through dancing, they became the bird and the wind, the fire and the serpent.
African dance embodies athleticism and a graceful beauty flowing with rhythm. In Africa, dance is a means of marking the experiences of life, encouraging abundant crops, and healing the sick soul and body and is also done purely for enjoyment. All ceremonial African dances have a purpose -
African music and dance in its essence communicates concepts of life on an elevated level. Traditionally, people throughout the continent of Africa achieve direct communication between themselves and their gods through ritual music and dance, including many with masks.
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In Africa, dancers do not perform on a stage, but interact directly with the rest of the people, who also participate in the ritual, not by sitting in seats in an audience, but by singing, playing and having dialogue with the musicians and dancers.
When these dances are done on the stage, they often include both traditional and innovative elements, illustrating how dance is not static, but changing and growing even as the performers meet new people and styles on their travels!
Traditional African Healers in South Africa are trained in three areas:
- First they are taught about herbs and herbal medicine.
- The second part of the training is in psychic reading or vumis, which means to search with your mind. During these readings it is possible to establish what physical, emotional or spiritual problem is making a client sick or distressed.
- The third aspect of the training is dancing. We call this dancing xentsa. Anybody can dance xentsa; it is suitable for the young, old, sick or physically injured. The dance is based on the human heartbeat. Focussing on the heartbeat is incredibly centring and can stimulate inner peace, reduce anxiety, and bring a sense of awareness and meaning.
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The steps are very simple and grounding. This particular dance is a way of moving into a deep meditative state, which enables the dancer to connect with his or her ancestors through ‘dream’ - otherwise known as the ‘river world’. During the dance a vision or message will be given, which is then shared with the people in the room or community.
Training to become a traditional healer can take many years. As a person goes through the various stages of becoming a healer his energy becomes stronger. This is reflected in the way that healers wear beads. A young trainee only wears a few beads, but a fully accomplished healer wears many beads to ground his energy.”