Akamba Kifemba Drum (Kamba, Kenya)
The kifemba is a large cylindrical drum of the Akamba, or Kamba, of Kenya. Historical ethnographic accounts associate this type of drum particularly with older members of the community, especially women, who played it during religious festivals and exorcistic ceremonies accompanying spirit dances. The instrument therefore occupied a specific position within the musical and ritual life of Kamba society.
The historical photograph accompanying the instrument provides important evidence for its use. It shows Kamba men and women with several drums of different sizes, including large cylindrical drums comparable to the kifemba. Such ensembles formed part of collective musical performances in which drums accompanied dance and ceremonial activity. Lindblom recorded that the kifemba was formerly also used as a signal drum during hostile attacks, demonstrating that its function could extend beyond ritual music.
The kifemba illustrates the close relationship between drumming, dance and ritual practice in traditional Kamba culture. Its historical use in religious ceremonies and, formerly, as a signal instrument demonstrates how a single drum type could fulfil different social functions according to context.
Source
"A drum of almost the same type as the preceding, but considerably larger ... is the kifemba. It is used only by old people, especially by the old women and preferably at religious festivals and exorcisms as music to the spirit dance of the old women."
Lindblom, Gerhard: The Akamba in British East Africa. An Ethnological Monograph. Uppsala, 1920.
Bibliography:
Hyslop, G.:
Musical Instruments of East Africa: Kenya.
Kavyu, P. N.:
Traditional Musical Instruments of Kenya. Nairobi: Kenya Literature Bureau, 1980.
Lindblom, Gerhard:
The Akamba in British East Africa. An Ethnological Monograph. Uppsala, 1920.
Wieschhoff, Heinz:
Die afrikanischen Trommeln und ihre außerafrikanischen Beziehungen. Stuttgart, 1933.
