‘African’ drumming, the homogenisation of a continent

European string music has been in existence in Europe for thousands of years. Instruments such as violins, violas, guitars and lutes have provided the soundtrack for coronations, films and permeated into contemporary pop culture through the use of samples or harmonic structures. Children worldwide start their musical journeys by playing European string instruments with some progressing to play famous works by Vivaldi, Paganini and Telemann, as well as playing in European string ensembles in schools.

Ever heard the term ‘European string ensemble’, though? Probably not – because it doesn’t really mean much. Are we talking about a group of violins? Guitars? Contrabasses? A mixture of these and more?

This brings me to my question – why are we still talking about ‘African drumming ensembles’?

Consider the many different cultures and 54 countries that make up Africa. From the Habesha in the East, Arabs in the North, Twi in the West and Zulu in the South, the various languages