Gombri (folk lute) Goatskin, metal Le : 109 cm The Arab and Mediterranean Center Tunisia

I have known this instrument since I was very young when I saw it played by a black man who was passing near our home. I have never attended a concert where this instrument was used but I have seen shows on television with groups called stambali that frightened me a lot.

The low tone of this instrument (that slightly resembles the sound of a bass viol) made my heart quiver. Among the members of the group there was a tall masked man dressed in animal skins (rabbit, fox, sheep, wolf, etc…). This man called "Bousaadia" danced, holding chkacheks between his fingers (a metal percussion instrument like castanets). I also saw a cloud of smoke (incense) from a canoun* that covered the exit in these performances.

The "Bousaadia" was surrounded by people who danced intensely to the same rhythm until they fell into a trance. I was told that they danced that way to rid themselves of the evil spirits that plagued them. The first time I saw the gombri up close was when I visited the Museum of the Arab and Mediterranean Music Centre, "Ennejma Ezzahra", in Sidi Bousaïd. Since then, I have been curious and wanted to learn more about this instrument and its origins. After doing some research, I discovered that the gombri belongs to the family of chordophones and comes from the black sub-Saharan African community.

The gombri has a total length of 109 cm. It has a wooden neck and soundbox. The soundbox has a cylindrical shape and is covered with goat skin decorated with henna and harkou (tattoo motifs). The goat skin is from an old goat that has preferably been previously used on a tabl (percussion instrument played with two beaters). This allows the goat skin to be stretched very tightly on the body. The skin is not heated, in contrast to the darbuka and the bendir. The wood bridge is called the rakez. The three gut strings that play the melody, are stretched by leather thongs that are attached to the body. Behind the bridge is a metal plate with rings that amplify the rhythm. They are called chanchana.

This instrument is still played although not very often and only in those areas where belief in evil spirits still exists.

* A pottery vessel in which coal is placed. It can be used for cooking or heating or burning incenses.