For a little more than three decades, Simmons has taught classes in West African and Afro-Cuban music and history at Duke University. Simmons says his djembe classes are typically small. But that does ...

This week’s feature is John Meyer, MD, Emergency Medicine.

One of the best-known African drums is the West African djembe. It is shaped like a large goblet and played with bare hands. The body is carved from a hollowed trunk and is covered in goat skin.

A captivating journey through the history of the essential African drum, the djembe, as seen through the remarkable life of revered Guinean percussionist Famoudou Konate. From his childhood ...