Mangbetu slit drum / Trommel / Tambour Congo

"J.S. Laurenty, the organologist at the KMMA (1965 – 1991) described the exceptionally beautiful form of this slit drum as a "tulip". It is found exclusively in the Uele (Mangbetu, Zande and Mamvu) under several names. The artistry with which this slit drum is cut proves once again that for some tribes the creative element is paramount. The Mangbetu and Zande are famous for their beautifully elegant sculptures and, in morphological terms, extend this to larger objects such as the slit drum. As in other regions of the Congo, this slit drum is also played in larger ensembles together with other instruments, as a percussion instrument during dances and festivals."
Copyright © Royal Museum for Central Africa ('RMCA'), 2018. All rights reserved.
excerpt from the website:http://music.africamuseum.be/instruments/english/congo%20drc/bakpekpe.html


Die nedungu ist ein Symbol der königlichen Macht.
Sie wurde im Hoforchester zu Tänzen gespielt und kündigte den König und andere hohe Würdenträger an.


Bibliographie:
Kubik, Gerhard ; Malamusi Moya Aliya ; Varsányi,András : Afrikanische Musikinstrumente. Katalog und Nachdokumentation der Musikinstrumente aus Afrika südlich der Sahara in der Sammlung Musik des Münchner Stadtmuseums.
Laurenty, Jean-Sébastien : Les tambours à fente de l'Afrique centrale, Musée royal de l'Afrique centrale, Tervuren, 1968, 2 vol.
Schildkrout, Enid : African Reflections: Art from Northeastern Zaire.1990