This rope tuned, skin covered goblet drum is famous for the unique and variety of sounds its can produce when played bare handed. This is because of hardwood body and the untreated rawhide drum head, making it a versatile drum and very loud drum. This instrument is said to have originated from the Mali Empire, in 1230 AD, but came to attention in 1952. Skilled drummers, called djembefola, are able to use the djembe to tell a story. It has been used in the west by many popular modern artists, including, Paul Simon, Cirque du Soliel, and many more.