FEATURE: Japanese village marches to different beat thru Guinea's djembe

As a ferry with decorative taiko drums on its hull eases into the port of Iojima, a tiny island in southwestern Japan, a welcoming rumble of rhythmic sounds from the shore resonates within the boat.The drumming coming from the island, however, is not from the traditional Japanese taiko but from students practicing the djembe, a West African goblet drum played with the hand.The drum was introduced to the Pacific island, a part of Kagoshima Prefecture, some three decades ago by a top djembe musician visiting from Guinea. It has since become a performing art passed down through the generations…READ FULL ARTICLE