Membranophones

African music is remarkably varied, especially in Benin, where there are many instruments of various shapes. When I saw the musical instruments on display at the "Alexandre Sènou Adandé" Ethnographic Museum in Porto-Novo, I was attracted by the danhoun. I am very pleased to have this opportunity to tell you about them.

The danhoun belong to the family of membranophones and comprising a set of three drums plus a gong. These drums are played by expert musicians and only followers of certain divinities are allowed to dance to their music. The danhoun are actually ritual drums played during ceremonies in honour of the god Dan who represents the rainbow symbolizing happiness and prosperity. They are also played for Tovodoun (a water nymph), Dangbe (the python, benevolent serpent and possessor of treasures and science) as well as for Legba, the god who wards off evil spirits.

As I mentioned earlier, the danhoun are made up of three drums: hounon (the biggest), sanga (the middle size) and alekle (the smallest). They are all decorated like dancers, wrapped in raffia skirts (yeli) dyed purple. Only expert dancers wear a cloth rather than a raffia skirt. The intensity of the music sometimes sends the dancers into trances. The music is difficult to modernize because of its religious character. It is said to have originated with Aziza, the all-perfect and all-beautiful protector, who initiated the first musician by bewitching him.

To see the danhoun is to admire them. I am glad that they have not changed despite the intermingling of cultures and the passage of time. Would you like to hear their music? Then you must become one of the faithful or visit one of their religious communities.

The danhoun are a series of three medium-sized drums covered with dyed raffia and played primarily during ceremonies in honour of the religions of Dan gods represented by the rainbows Tovodoun or the siren and Dangbe or the python. This is also the rhythm that the orchestra plays during these ceremonies. In our traditional society, many natural phenomena are deified or interpreted as manifestations of a divine presence. Thus we have the phenomenon of the rainbow that is perceived as the divinity that governs wealth and material goods, Heviosso or lightning, the dispenser of justice, responsible for punishing criminals or to warn innocent people of evil or Sakpata, god of disease.

This entire pantheon is sustained by a liturgy, a religion and an orchestra. These can vary from one divinity to another. It is in this context that the many religious orchestras, especially in southern Benin, must be understood. The danhoun belong to this religious inspiration and are played only in the religious communities devoted to these divinities. To take them out of this context would be a sacrilege. Their religious character, which many western cultures have lost, makes them unique.