Konden 1 (Djembe & Dunun Demo)

Ethnic: Malinké
Region: Wassolon, Northeast Guinea
Konden is one of the most popular masks for the Malinke. This rhythm is played for the dance of the Konden mask. In the dance, the mask dancer would be holding his whip, which would usually be a thin branch with leaves. He would walk quickly and try to hit young men with his whip. The villagers love to play Konden when there are visitors to the village as they like showing Konden to them. Centuries ago, the mask was only accompanied by singing and clapping. Later, the older men became interested in this game and they started playing djembe and dunun to accompany Konden. Mamady teaches two versions of Konden. The rhythm here is referred to as Konden 1, from the Wassolon region.