Abdoulaye Diakité facts for kids

Abdoulaye Diakité (born December 15, 1950 – died January 8, 2018) was a very important djembe drummer and teacher. He came from Tambacounda, Senegal, a country in West Africa.

Abdoulaye was the main djembe player for the National Ballet of Senegal for 18 years. After that, he moved to the United States.

Early Life of a Master Drummer

Abdoulaye Diakité was born in Tambacounda in 1950. He was part of the Bamana ethnic group. The Bamana people are from Mali and Senegal. They are known for keeping their traditions strong.

Diakité started playing the djembe drum when he was just seven years old. As he grew up, everyone noticed his amazing natural talent. He spent many years learning from his teacher, Suncaru Jara, in Tambacounda.

When he was 16, Diakité played at a big music festival in Tambacounda. This event changed his life forever. The National Ballet of Senegal was looking for a djembe player. They wanted someone who sounded like a famous djembefola (djembe player). They found Abdoulaye Diakité, and he was exactly what they were looking for!

Abdoulaye Diakité's Career

In 1968, Diakité officially joined the National Ballet of Senegal. For the next 18 years, until 1986, he traveled all over the world. He was their lead solo djembe player. After his last tour, Diakité decided to stay in the United States. He made his new home in Oakland, California.

While living in the Bay Area, Diakité helped West African music and dance become very popular. In the early 1990s, he started his own company, Tambacounda Productions. He also helped create the Ceedo Senegalese Dance Company.

Diakité organized many recordings, performances, and activities. These events helped teach people about West African culture. His biggest project was the Tambacounda West African Drum and Dance Camp. He started this summer camp in 1996, and it ran for several years. It was the first camp of its kind. It inspired many other West African drumming and dance programs in the United States.

Diakité often visited Santa Cruz in the 1990s. He inspired the creation of a drum shop there called Drumskull Drums. He taught and guided many future djembe teachers who worked with the shop. His teaching idea was called Jebe Bara, which means "unity of the drum". Diakité often talked about the spiritual side of drumming in his classes.

In 2008, Diakité became ill. Even though he faced health challenges, he kept playing the djembe and teaching his dedicated students. He continued until he passed away in 2018.

Discography

• Mandingo Drumming (1992), with Leon Mobley
• JebeBara: The Bamana Djembe (2001), with Mamadou Sidibe
• Abdoulaye Diakité Rhythms of the Djembé, Volume 1 (2003)
• Abdoulaye Diakité Rhythms of the Djembé, Volume 2 (2003)
• Tambacounda Dunun ni Don (2004)
• Manden Foli (2005)