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HiGOMA Speaker Drum: a heritage inspired sound system

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Design of the week

Contemporary African design studio Noumbissi Design is reviving the centuries-old craft of the handmade djembe drum by infusing it with the latest audio technology to create a heritage-inspired sound system.

Using locally sourced wood from Yaounde in Cameroon, the HiGOMA Speaker Drum, a Bluetooth-operated instrument, isn’t just smart, it’s also kind to the environment.

The collective designed the HiGOMA to challenge stereotypes and mythologies that exist around handmade goods from the continent.

Simon Tam, one of the designers of the drums, says: “The idea was to change the perception of African handicrafts; to go beyond the clichés of museum pieces or tourist trinkets.”

The HiGOMA mini amplifier, speakers and subwoofer won the recent African Design Award in the product design category, and the initiative this week met its crowdsourcing budget target, which is fantastic news for the burgeoning enterprise. The team says the funds will enable them to empower the small communities on the outskirts of Yaounde that are responsible for the production of the drums.

To take care of the little drums, you need to rub them with shea butter, which made us love them even more. I mean, how often do you get to moisturise a piece of technology?

Keep up to date with the project as it unfolds on the @higomaspeakers Instagram page. It’s in French, but the pictures are cool enough to translate themselves.

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