OBONU DRUM

OBONU SET

The obonu drummers was founded by Addy who composed creative drumming which  is based upon the royal Obonu drumming of the Ga people and other Ghanaian drumming forms. Addy  has recorded many albums and  performed extensively in Africa and Europe, and briefly in North America in the early 1970s and late 1990s. Addy founded the Academy of African Music and Arts (AAMA) at kokrobite beach near Accra  in 1988.

The Obonu drum is a royal drom of the Ga's of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. It is played with sticks on ceremonial and state occasion, gathering of community, and communication with the ancestors. These drums are tuned to different voices and have a powerful presence when played in a set. It is use during the enstoolment and disstoolment of a chief in the Ga community.

The Obonu Ensemble is used to communicate royal messages in the Ga tribal settings. The Obonu drum is hand carved using traditional tools and methods in Ghana, West Africa. The wood used in making the Obonu drum is the Red tweneboa which is legally harvested and carved from a solid piece of wood.

 The wood seasoned, oiled with shea butter and coconut oil, and sealed on the outside.The shaved cow skins is woven using traditional peg fixing method. The four set  Obonu drums (15-17"x50-55") with vudetsi stands and curved sticks, (12-14"x30-32" ) with curved sticks, (8-10"x20-22") with sticks and (7-8"x19-21") with stick

The poly-rhythms created with these drums, it is very complex, and which is usually loud given its size and the purposes of the drum.