Calabash Player
(Indigo Series)
16 x 14” Digital Print on archival paper
Signed & Numbered Limited Edition Print of 20
©2010 Djibril N’Doye
Since I was a child, I always liked traditional music. Using a half of a calabash as a percussion instrument is very historical in West Africa.
Calabash have also been used as a dish to serve food in Africa for thousands of years.
The calabash plant grows like a pumpkin but calabash is harvested dry on the vine. Cutting it in half makes two bowls. When turned upside down and played rhythmically, it has a very distinct echo. This musician is using two wood sticks to play the rhythm. I show the high speed at which he is playing by the multiple images of the sticks in motion.
In a band, the calabash is used as a drum set. Most musical instruments are made just for music but the calabash is used as a dish in every house so, because of its availability, the players may ‘borrow’ it from the family housewares as a drum set.