A classic two-skin
drum from Uganda which, with minor differences, can be found almost everywhere
in the territory, even in ethnic groups which are very dissimilar: ACHOLI,
GANDA, etc. In this case, the drum comes from the village of BULUNGULI,
in the district of IGANGA, from the tribe of the BASOGA
of the BUSOGA. The family which made the drum, the NDHOTE, is especially well known for its musicians and the craft activity of making traditional instruments under the guidance of YASONI NDHOTE, son of ERISA, grandson of MUSEMBYA, great-grandson of NDHOTE I° who was amongst the initiators of traditional KISOGA music at the beginning of the 19th century.
The drum's wooden box is covered at the two ends with membranes of skins: only the larger one is beaten with the hands. The skins are stretched by a dense series of parallel braces, which cover practically the whole body of the drum. The tension of the skin (and therefore the sound) can be varied by wetting or heating the upper skin. Inside the drum there is a piece of wood from the tree it has been made from: this is the "soul" of the drum, according to a custom which is not only common in Uganda but throughout Africa.
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