The Gangan is a Djembe drum from the Yoruba people of Nigeria. It’s in the form of an hourglass and the drummer has a lot of control over the sound, by squeezing the cords on the side and changing the pitch. This lets the drum talk. It imitates the tones of speech, especially that of Yoruba, a tonal language. But the Gangan isn’t the only drum that is able to do this.

In Ghana, there are other talking drums. They’re not called Gangan, but the concept is still similar. For the Akan, Ewe and Dagomba people, drums are an important part of music, storytelling and ceremony. Some of them are capable of mimicking speech also. In Ewe music, one lead drum may play a melodic or signal role, while a related lead drum may play a rhythmic role simultaneously.

The Akan have the Atumpan, a pair of kettle drums for praise or announcement drums. The Dagomba have the Lunga, which resembles the Gangan a good deal, but much have developed its own style, use and meaning.

They both mold their drums and music in their own unique design. What the drum is saying varies depending on the language, the rhythm and the occasion. Despite being in the same family, one drum, in other words, does not sound the same as the other. They don’t denote the same things, either. But the attachment is in the way they hold voice without language.