Fontomfrom is a
Bono
Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2.
Born and raised in Dublin, he attended ...
type of
hourglass-shaped drum mostly used by an ensemble of
Bono people
The Bono, also called the Brong and the Abron, are an Akan people of West Africa. Bonos are normally tagged Akan piesie or Akandifo of which Akan is a derivative name. Bono is the genesis and cradle of Akans. Bono is one of the largest ethnic gr ...
to communicate Bono monarchy royal messages in a Bono people ethnic group setting. The Fontomfrom ensemble provides music for ceremonies honoring Bono chiefs and Bono monarchy royal processions. The Fontomfrom is also used to recite proverbs or replicate patterns of speech at most Bono monarchy royal gatherings or a Bono
monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy ...
royal
durbar.
The Fontomfrom evolved from the popular hourglass-shaped drum (
talking drum
The talking drum is an hourglass-shaped drum from West Africa, whose pitch can be regulated to mimic the tone and prosody of human speech. It has two drumheads connected by leather tension cords, which allow the player to change the pit ...
) of the 7th century. Shortly after the evolution, a few more non-hourglass shapes such as the Dunan,
Sangban,
Kenkeni and
Ngoma drums
Ngoma (also called engoma or ng'oma or ingoma) are musical instruments used by certain Bantu populations of Africa. ''Ngoma'' is derived from the Kongo word for "drum". Different Bantu-inhabited regions have their own traditions of percussion, w ...
were produced.
Prior to the Fontomfrom becoming the ensemble that it is today, it was first introduced into
Bonoman by Bonohene Akumfi Ameyaw I and Bonohemaa Owusuaa Abrafi circa 1320s, from
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...
. As they love dancing and music, they introduced this drum to entertain themselves.
[ Since its procurement, the single, large Fontomfrom drum has grown to become an ensemble of several drums.]
References
External links
Video: Fontomfrom at Asafo PalaceVideo: Fontomfrom , Hip Hop Generation Next Block Party '12 , Dancing in the Streets
African drums
Ashanti people
Ashanti musical instruments
West African musical instruments
Drums
{{Membranophone-instrument-stub