Akan Drum

Name: Akan Drum

Origin: West Africa

Date: before 1710

Museum: British Museum, London

Material: Wood and animal skin

Visitable: 12 August – 10 October 2010  /  Room 3  /  Free

Comments:

The Akan drum is the oldest African-American object in the British Museum, brought from West Africa to the Colony of Virginia as part of the slave trade around 1735. ‘Akan’ refers to an ethnic and linguistic group from West Africa which includes

the Fante, Asante and Akuapem, and its culture is most apparent today in Ghana.

The drum was acquired by Sir Hans Sloane, whose collection formed the basis of the British Museum when it was founded in 1753. Broadcaster, playwright, and British Museum Trustee Bonnie Greer has been involved in the creation of the display, and it focuses on two main themes – the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the origins of African-American music.

The first part of the display describes the journey of the drum from West Africa to the Colony of Virginia, relating the suffering and displacement of peoples as a result of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

This journey would have typically included the practice of ‘dancing the slaves’, where enslaved Africans were forcibly exercised on board the

slave ships, a practice in which it is likely this

drum would have played a part.

The second part of the display examines the massive influence of African and African-

American music on most popular music from the

20th century onwards, including jazz, blues, R&B,

and rock ’n’ roll.

The drum is one of the objects featured in the British Museum and BBC Radio 4 series

A History of the World in 100 objects

© Photo and text: British Museum